Chicago Bears: This sudden mystery is causing panic at cornerback

For a couple of weeks now, the Chicago Bears have not seen one particular player at practice. Veteran cornerback Desmond Trufant has been excused for personal reasons, and fans have grown curious as to why he’s been missing practice.

It has given the younger corner, Kindle Vildor, an opportunity to shine and take over that starting spot that Trufant was likely going to own. However, Vildor’s camp and preseason has been a tale of two players — one in practice and one in game action.

One has to wonder if and when Trufant will return, and whether or not Vildor’s starting spot is in danger. Right now, cornerback looks bleak.

There is one possible explanation for Trufant’s absence that seems to be floating around on social media, and that is the possible passing of his father, Lloyd Trufant. At this point, we have not heard or seen anything from the family, so we will leave it at that, just a rumor.

https://twitter.com/Lakitu886/status/1428947918246010886?s=20

Note: once again, the notion in the above tweet has not been confirmed.

If Trufant’s father did indeed pass, it would explain a lengthy absence and the Bears are doing right by their veteran corner by giving him all the time he needs. That’s simply the right thing to do and shows nothing but class by the Bears.

The cornerback room is looking rough right now for the Chicago Bears.

Now, as tragic as that might be, we must get back to the matter at hand. The Bears’ situation at cornerback looks bleak, to say the least.

As stated, Vildor has been a completely different player at times this past month. During practice, he has been a standout much of the time. It is for that reason that media and fans have been excited about his ascension to the current starter next to Jaylon Johnson.

However, during game action, Vildor has looked lost at times and is also missing tackles.

Behind Vildor is another veteran, Artie Burns, who has not done much to impress in game action either. The Bears also have sixth-round rookie Thomas Graham, veterans Xavier Crawford and Duke Shelley, along with former CFL cornerback Tre Roberson.

None of the above have given the Bears any reason to feel good about their cornerback room.

At this stage, we have to hope Trufant is able to get back to practice soon and takes the reins from Vildor on the Bears’ second starting cornerback job. If Trufant can come back and beat out the younger guys for that spot, it would be an ideal situation for the Bears and Trufant himself. After all, he set out earlier this year to prove he’s still a great player in this league after a couple of tough seasons.

The rest of the group, though, has been less than impressive over the past couple of weeks. This has truly become an even bigger weakness than we originally thought.

If the Bears aren’t careful, they could go into the season without any real depth here. When rosters are cut down in a week or so, look for the Bears to try and find additional cornerback help, because right now, they are hurting.

Again, let’s hope Trufant can come back sooner rather than later and also that he and his family are doing as well as they can be.