Chicago Bears: Hometown free agents to consider
By Ryan Heckman
Cornerback Rashaan Melvin
Birthplace: Waukegan, IL
Another guy who would come back close to home is veteran cornerback Rashaan Melvin. After going undrafted out of Northern Illinois back in 2013, Melvin has bounced around to several teams. He began his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and most recently played for the Oakland Raiders.
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Melvin’s longest tenured stretch with one club came from 2016 to 2017 when he spent two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He enjoyed his best season as a pro in 2017 when he recorded 13 passes defensed and three interceptions in just 10 games that year.
This past season with the Raiders, Melvin played in 14 games while starting seven of them, and amassing 56 tackles, nine passes defensed and one interception.
Like Allen, Melvin’s connection to Chicago stems deeper than his birthplace. While new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano was still with the Colts, Melvin was there. The two obviously had a relationship, and I’m sure that would come into play if the Bears were to pursue Melvin in free agency.
With experience as a starter, Melvin could offer depth to the Bears secondary and would at least be a great addition to training camp, to offer some competition to the younger guys.