Head coach Matt Nagy preached competition when training camp opened last month. He made it clear that every Chicago Bears roster position would be up for grabs. If you want a job on this team, then go out and earn it. Several players have taken that challenge and run with it over the past couple of weeks. A number of heated battles continue to wage with the second preseason game looming. Yet all pale in comparison to what is happening at the safety position.
Surprised? That probably isn’t the area of the roster most would’ve thought a battle would take place. Eddie Jackson and Tashaun Gipson are the locked-in starters. It also looks like Deon Bush and DeAndre Houston-Carson will remain the primary backups. So what else is there to discuss? This should help illustrate just how much Marqui Christian and Teez Tabor have done in order to garner attention.
It has been seriously impressive.
Starting last week, it felt like the two were trading nice plays in practice. Then the game arrived and both managed to show up. Tabor had a couple of solid tackles and a key pass breakup to force a punt. Christian countered by delivering one of the Bears’ two takeaways, forcing a fumble early in the 4th quarter.
Tabor wasn’t about to be outdone though. In the Bears’ first practice following that win on Saturday, he made his presence felt with a quality interception during drills. A play that would remind many fans of what he accomplished during his time at Florida.
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Sure enough, Christian seemed to sense the threat and made sure he was ready the next day. The veteran delivered one of the best sequences of practice for the Bears defense, first knocking a pass away on first down and then intercepting it two plays later.
Justin Fields in for his 2 drill and the first pass down the seam is incomplete on a nice PBU.
Second play would have been a sack off a nickel blitz.
Third play Fields is picked by Marqui Christian. #Bears
— Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. (@wiltfongjr) August 17, 2021
Chicago Bears have a brutal decision ahead of them
Last year they carried five safeties into the regular season. That means only one spot remains open unless they surprisingly cut either Bush or Houston-Carson. Tabor and Christian are playing so well right now that it will be tough on defensive coordinator Sean Desai to cut one of them. Both have shown they deserve to be on the roster at this point. Is there any way to make that happen?
Possibly, though it may involve only carrying five cornerbacks instead of the usual six. Given Tabor and Christian both have experience at corner, that might convince the Chicago Bears it’s worth trying. If not, then who will it be? Looking at it from the big picture, the more likely choice is Christian. In addition to playing well on defense, he also has a deep background on special teams. Something the Bears need after losing both Cordarrelle Patterson and Sherrick McManis.
Can Tabor change that perception?
He has two weeks left to do just that. He’s never been known as a special teams guy but it isn’t too late to learn. One or two solid plays in that phase and he can convince the coaches he is capable of handling that part of the job. Either way, it is great to see two players battle like this. Giving everything they have just for a chance to be on the roster.