Kelvin Hayden Would Bolster Bears Secondary

The moment I heard that the Colts had released cornerback Kelvin Hayden, I thought he might be a good fit for the Bears.  I’m not sure why it’s taken over a week for the Bears to realize this and schedule him to come in for a look-see, but the good news is that they’ve identified another area in need of shoring up.

If his name sounds somewhat familiar to you, it’s because he ripped the heart from Bears fans in Super Bowl XLI, returning a Rex Grossman pass for a touchdown to ice the game.

The cornerback position has been neglected for a few years now, a Peanut Tillman injury away from catastrophe.   Tim Jennings did a fair job opposite Tillman last season after 2nd year man Zack Bowman stumbled out of the gate and ended up in Lovie Smith’s doghouse.  The Bears also added Joshua Moore in the 2010 draft, but he failed to contribute due to a lack of size.  He bulked up this offseason, so he could be a factor, but it’s a big if for the 2nd year man.

Coming to the Bears would be a homecoming for Hayden, who starred at Hubbard and Illinois before going to the Colts.

"Hayden, a former standout at Hubbard and Illinois, told the Tribune he would love to come home and play for his hometown Bears. Hayden also said he wants to weigh all his options, with nine teams showing interest.If defensive scheme becomes the deciding factor in Hayden’s decision, the Bears could hold the advantage. He feels the Bears have an ever better system than Indianapolis.“The scheme is basically the same, but the way we look at things are different,’’ Hayden told the Tribune. “In Indianapolis, we had two rush ends that were disruptive, but it kind of left the run defense a little on edge. With the Bears, you got the disruptive ends and the great run defense.”"

Adding a veteran like Hayden, experienced in the ways of the Cover-2, should be a no-brainer for the Bears.  Let’s hope they get this deal done.