For the past three years, the Chicago Bears defense has done what it always does. Carries the team to whatever success they accomplish. However, some are wondering if they have enough gas left in the tank to do so again. On paper, they still seem to have plenty of talent headlined by Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, and Roquan Smith. Yet the optimism isn’t quite there like in the past couple of years.
Why is that? Some will say age but that is way too simple of an explanation. The truth is the defense feels incomplete. Like there is a true vulnerability they didn’t have before. Mike Clay of ESPN did a breakdown of every NFL team going into 2021. The biggest reason he placed Chicago 26th in his rankings? Lack of proven players on offense and the sudden weakening of their secondary.
“The defense has carried this team for a few years now, and while the Khalil Mack-led front seven remains solid, Danny Trevathan will miss time with an injury and the secondary is a major concern after the offseason departure of Kyle Fuller.”
He isn’t joking either.
Clay assessed every defense going into this season and gave each position group ranks from 1-32. In his mind, the Bears’ front seven is still one of the better groups in football. All three areas placing in the top 11. Upon shifting to the secondary positions? That is when it gets pretty ugly. His belief in Eddie Jackson has clearly sagged with the safeties ranking just 18th, but it’s at cornerback where the real concerns lay.
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In all honesty, Clay has every right to be skeptical. The Bears cornerbacks might be the youngest group this team has fielded in years. Jaylon Johnson, their best player, is 22-years old. They don’t currently employ anybody over the age of 26. Kindle Vildor and Duke Shelley played late last season and were inconsistent. Artie Burns is a former 1st round pick who flamed out in Pittsburgh. Xavier Crawford is a career backup.
The Chicago Bears are light on proven guys
What magnifies this is the array of quarterbacks they have to face this season. It starts with Matthew Stafford and doesn’t really let up moving forward. Baker Mayfield, Derek Carr, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, and Russell Wilson are all on the schedule. A positively brutal slate. Are Sean Desai and his staff really content going against that with the bodies they have?
It seems that way. The Chicago Bears haven’t made any significant moves at cornerback since final cuts went down. No waiver claims. No notable practice squad signings. GM Ryan Pace even expressed his confidence in Vildor and Shelley, feeling they’ve made strides since last season. The preseason may not have shown it, but they should look better once the real action begins.
He better hope so.
Even now people still question his decision to release Fuller. Sure the Bears were tight on money but wouldn’t it have made more sense to part with somebody like Jimmy Graham? He’s older and the team had a young guy ready to step up in his place in Cole Kmet. Cornerbacks are so much more valuable than tight ends. Clearly, the team felt they needed more offensive firepower. Besides, it was only a matter of time before they started the youth movement on defense. The secondary ended up being that place.