6 cornerbacks the Chicago Bears can add this off-season

The Chicago Bears could use free agency to address this problem in the offseason.

Rasul Douglas, Green Bay Packers, 26

After being traded from the Eagles and a rough one-year stint in Carolina, Rasul Douglas was beginning to be viewed as an afterthought. He could not find a home in the 2021 off-season, bouncing around from Vegas to Houston to Arizona’s practice squad.

He was ultimately signed to the Packers’ active roster and had a career reviving season in which he had 5 interceptions, 7 PBUs, and a 46.3 passer rating against. So, what changed for him after an up and down start in the NFL?

Well, Douglas benefited from playing in the Packers’ “two high” defense that the Rams made famous. Two high defense means a lot of cover 2, cover 4, and cover 6. In this defense, he played a more protected role in which he was an off alignment or had safety help much of the time.

He thrived when he was able to clue quarterbacks and read routes in front of him. That’s why his skillset makes for a really interesting fit in this defense because Eberflus asks a lot of the same things out of his corners.

At 6′ 2″ with plus 32-inch arms, Douglas also fits the physical mold that Eberflus and his staff have coveted. So, there is a lot of reasons why he would apt well in Chicago and probably wouldn’t cost the Bears much if they did pursue him.

Xavier Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts, 32

This is probably going to be one of the lowest hanging fruit of hypothetical pairings that will be made this off-season. Xavier Rhodes spent the last two seasons with Eberflus in Indianapolis and did a nice job salvaging his career.

Rhodes plugged into Eberflus’s defense seamlessly posting PFF coverage grades 78.9 in 2020 and  61.8 in 2021. The problem is, he is 32. That means that he is entering that danger zone age for cornerbacks. The position is extremely athletically demanding so the process in which their athletic ability declines usually starts to happen where Rhodes is now.

If the Bears decide to bring him in, he is no long-term answer. Rhodes should be viewed as more of a stop-gap option until they have more ammo to attack the position. But, tread lightly because once corners go over the hill, there is no going back.

Isaiah Oliver, Atlanta Falcons, 25

Isaiah Oliver made the transition to the slot in 2021 and was off to a good start until his season was cut short due to a knee injury. Outside of that small four-game sample, he has had a pretty rocky career. So, why should the Bears be interested? Tools.

I don’t mean to repeat things but Oliver’s 6 ft frame and 33-inch arms are exactly what Eberflus is looking for. He is far from a sure thing but this Bears staff could look to get more out of him with their scheme and coaching. It wouldn’t cost them much to bring him in and if he did work out it, it could greatly benefit them.

More importantly, it wouldn’t drastically hurt them if he wasn’t an answer either. He is the epitome of a low-risk high reward reclamation project. And the Bears might need a couple of players on those types of deals to pan out given their lack of resources. At worst, he provides depth with some inside/outside versatility.