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6 cornerbacks the Chicago Bears can add this off-season

By Tom Kavanaugh

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 28: Rasul Douglas #29 of the Green Bay Packers intercepts a pass intended for A.J. Green #18 of the Arizona Cardinals during the fourth quarter of a game at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. The Packers defeated the Cardinals 24-21. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 28: Rasul Douglas #29 of the Green Bay Packers intercepts a pass intended for A.J. Green #18 of the Arizona Cardinals during the fourth quarter of a game at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona. The Packers defeated the Cardinals 24-21. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Everyone knows that this Chicago Bears off-season is going to be about helping Justin Fields and the offense. As it should be. The last regime completely mishandled that side of the ball and that must change for this team to get to where they want to be.

However, the offense isn’t the only area on the roster that needs to be revamped. The Bears’ defense took a huge step back in 2021. According to rbsdm.com, they went from 0.17 EPA allowed per drop back to 0.76 EPA allowed per drop back in 2021.

There are many variables that went into this decline. When factoring in that the Kindle Vildors and Duke Shelleys of the world were being relied upon as starters, it’s clear that having below replacement level corners had a lot to do with their struggles.

Cornerback is a problem on the defensive side of the ball for the Chicago Bears.

Now, new Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has a reputation for getting the most out of inferior talent with running a lot of deep coverage shells that protect his corners. Yet, former defensive coordinator Sean Desai tried to do a lot of the same things and it still wasn’t enough to get by.

On top of that, the corners that are currently on the roster don’t even fit the mold that Eberflus has traditionally coveted. Look at boundary corners he has worked with during his time in Indy like Xavier Rhodes, Rock Ya-Sin, Pierre Desir, Marvell Tell, etc. What do all of those players have in common? They are all tall and/or long.

Shelley and Vildor do not fit those profiles. So, it’s just hard to envision those guys as incumbent starters in 2022. The Bears have to make an effort to get better at cornerback, even with the offense being the first priority. Outside of Jaylon Johnson, the group is too barren to be left alone and this position can make or break teams.

Luckily for the Bears, there are many potential options that they can pursue in the draft and free agency. With limited cap space and draft capital, they are going to have to find some value deals to improve their coverage unit. That said, I have gone through this free agent and draft class and found some players that would make sense to add:

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