Chicago Bears: 5 free agent corners to sign for depth
By Ryan Heckman
Free agent cornerbacks the Chicago Bears could still add: Nickell Robey-Coleman
One of the positions the Bears have yet to solidify is the hole left by veteran slot corner Buster Skrine. Chicago needs to find their next slot cornerback, and right now it’s up to a pair of sixth-round picks to compete for the job.
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More than likely, Duke Shelley and Thomas Graham Jr. will be the guys atop the competition for this spot. However, Shelley has underwhelmed in the chances he’s gotten and Graham is a rookie.
If Chicago wanted to gain an immediate starter at the position, they could go out and sign veteran Nickell Robey-Coleman. The former USC Trojan got his start back in 2013 as a member of the Buffalo Bills, and he has produced everywhere he’s been since.
After four years in Buffalo, Robey-Coleman spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams before his lone season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020. Since entering the league, he’s been one of the more underrated slot cornerbacks in the NFL.
Between the 2017 and 2018 season, in particular, Robey-Coleman allowed just 0.71 yards per coverage snap which was good for the second-best number in all of football, per Pro Football Focus.
There have been a couple of instances where he’s finished amongst the NFL’s elite in terms of opposing passer rating allowed from a slot cornerback as well. There might be no better free agent cornerback, in terms of fit for the Bears, than Robey-Coleman is.