Chicago Bears: Five Most Important Defensive Backups

Nov 15, 2014; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions safety Adrian Amos (4) runs with the ball after an interception during the third quarter against the Temple Owls at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Temple 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O

Adrian Amos, S

With the exception of 2013, I can’t remember the last time the Bears didn’t draft a safety. It’s become a standard part of every Bears season, like swearing at Jay Cutler and losing to the Packers (sigh). It’s become more than a joke, as the team has been looking for solid play on the back-end (with the exception of the oft-injured but still revered Mike Brown) for as many years as I can remember.

Look at this list of drafted safeties and don’t weep:

2005: Chris Harris

2006: Danieal Manning

2007: Kevin Payne

2008: Craig Steltz

2009: Al Afalava

2010: Major Wright

2011: Chris Conte

2012: Brandon Hardin

2014: Brock Vereen

There were some decent players in there (Manning, Harris), but none of them were high-caliber starters with the Bears, and certainly not for an extended period of time. And then there were ones like Hardin, who had a terrible injury history but the Bears took him in the third round anyway and he never saw the field, or Conte and Wright, who did, unfortunately, see the field. All too much.

Enter the 2015 draft pick, Adrian Amos. Playing at Penn State, Amos was selected by the Bears in the fifth round as the latest installment in the team’s efforts to solve its back-end woes, and I think he has a good chance at being part of the answer in the Bears defense.

Nov 15, 2014; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions safety Adrian Amos (4) during the fourth quarter against the Temple Owls at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Temple 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O

In his first two seasons at Penn State, Amos played cornerback, earning honorable mention All Big 10 in his sophomore season. For his junior year, he split time between corner and safety but started all 12 games for the second straight year and was again an honorable mention All Big 10. In 2014 he snagged three interceptions playing safety and was once again named conference honorable mention.

That versatility will be key in Amos seeing the field. While Rolle seems to be a lock for playing time, Ryan Mundy could be a question mark at free safety. Mundy had his ups and downs last year – he led the Bears in tackles, an area Amos needs to improve in — but struggled in coverage at times. If Mundy struggles in coverage, Amos could step in. But given his history, Amos could also play at slot cornerback and contribute. If Ball struggles on the outside, forcing the Bears to kick Jennings to Ball’s spot, or if Jennings struggles at nickelback, Amos could be the guy to step in as the third cornerback.

Amos’ primary competition will be 2014 draft pick Brock Vereen, who saw some playing time with the Bears last year, starting four games and nabbing one interception. Vereen, like most players in the Bears defense, was not impressive in that small sample size. Vereen is slightly smaller than Amos and has similar versatility – he also played cornerback and safety and struggles tackling – so I expect this to be a battle in training camp.

Next: Pick A Linebacker, Any Linebacker