Chicago Bears: Ranking 5 free agent cornerback targets

4. Trumaine Johnson

If you want the best available cornerback on the market in terms of making big-time plays, you’re looking at him. Trumaine Johnson is without a doubt the king of the big play out of all the available corners in 2018. With that said, he’s also one of the bigger risks.

Sure, Johnson boasts 18 career interceptions and three defensive touchdowns. His interception total is good for fifth-best in the NFL since he entered the league. So, for a defense that has lacked turnovers for years, Johnson would definitely be a fit.

On the other hand, his grade for the 2017 season might come as a shock to many of you. As I pointed out in an earlier piece on Johnson, Pro Football Focus gave him the 68th overall rank among corners for last year — that is borderline unacceptable.

While he takes a lot of risks that often seem to pay off, Johnson’s biggest weakness has been his inability to wrap up. While his interceptions have been great since entering the league, he has also been toward the top in missed tackles. To be exact, Johnson has missed 50 tackles since becoming a pro — also good for fifth in the league among cornerbacks.

Johnson is the perfect example of a high-risk, high-reward signing. With a dominant front seven, the Bears could benefit greatly from Johnson’s aggressive style. But, that would mean several pieces need to fall into place — the first being establishing a dominant front seven.

Lastly, the Bears will definitely need to pay up for Johnson. Is Pace willing to give out a large sum of money to a guy who’s merely been just a name over the last year or two? We’ll find out.