Chicago Bears offseason stock watch: Kevin Toliver
How has the stock of Chicago Bears cornerback Kevin Toliver changed this offseason?
When the Chicago Bears signed Kevin Toliver as a UDFA from LSU, he immediately became the name to follow of the class. Many expected Toliver to be drafted, and while he fell for character concerns, the Bears bought into the talent.
Toliver’s first offseason with the Bears is as good as you could write. He was noticed in OTAs, he shined in training camp, and that crossed over to the preseason as well. He only played 135 snaps defensive snaps, but for a player who was undrafted, it was as good as it could have gotten considering the health of the Bears cornerbacks.
Last year Toliver had to battle with Marcus Cooper. This year, Cooper was let go and nobody of any name value was brought on. Stephen Denmark was drafted, but he is a former wide receiver from Valdosta State, who is going to require patience.
When looking at the Bears big moves at cornerbacks, they were active in upgrading the slot. This means that they are confident in the idea of Toliver stepping up if either Kyle Fuller or Prince Amukamara were to go down with an injury.
Nobody else is in-line, and it would be a major upset if Toliver did not leave camp as the clear top backup on the outside.
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Moving forward, Prince Amukamara can save the Bears $9 million if he is released in 2020. If Toliver continues to impress this preseason, the potential of him starting across from Fuller is on the table. Nonetheless, Toliver is firmly embedded on this roster, which is a huge step forward from last year, and last year his stock was on the rise. Toliver is a clear stock up.