We here at Bear Goggles On know that it’s hard to keep track of the date as we slog thru these August dog days, and we’re here to help our readers in that regard. Today marks 39 days from the time that Chicago will kick off the 2015 regular season against Green Bay which means, today we’re doing a profile on the player who wears #39. The Countdown to Kickoff series continues with undrafted rookie cornerback, Qumain Black.
Coming out of East Central University, an FCS school situated in Oklahoma, the odds are long for Black to make the Chicago Bears roster. Adjusting to the level of NFL competition may not be his biggest challenge, however. Instead it may be the dearth of cornerbacks on the roster, many with NFL years under their belt and an additional edge with special teams experience.
More from Chicago Bears News
- Franchise tag and transition tag windows open for Chicago Bears and NFL
- How the Chicago Bears can control the running back market in 2023
- The Chicago Bears can own the city of Chicago moving forward
- Chicago Bears NFL Combine Preview: Quarterback
- 7 best free agent tackle options for Chicago Bears
Lets take a look at the other names who he’ll be competing with, but first we’ll move aside the obvious locks for the roster — Kyle Fuller and Tim Jennings. For the sake of argument lets also consider Alan Ball, Sherrick McManis, Tracy Porter and Demontre Hurst as individuals with significantly greater odds than Black to make the team (I picked Ball and Fuller as the starters, with Jennings the nickel back).
That makes six already. How many cornerbacks will Ryan Pace and John Fox choose to keep? Last year’s 53-man roster coming out of the preseason featured five corners: Fuller, Jennings, Hurst, McManis and the now departed Charles Tillman.
August 2, 2015: Tim Jennings and Qumain Black during day four of Chicago Bears Training Camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL.
For some additional context, Vic Fangio’s defenses in the last two years at San Francisco also kept five cornerbacks on the roster. It seems pretty safe to say the number of corners for the Bears this year will be five which means in addition to breaking into the group of six I mentioned above, Black will also have to beat out these four: Bryce Callahan, Jacoby Glenn, Al Louis-Jean and Terrance Mitchell.
What To Expect From Qumain Black In 2015:
I didn’t watch him play in college but thanks to YouTube I could get a look at a highlight reel of Black’s during his time at ECU. Take a look for yourself and keep in mind it is against “lesser” competition, but football is football. There’s enough here to say that Black is a willing tackler, possesses a decent football IQ, has good speed and plays with an attitude.
Those are all traits that would fit just fine on a Bears defense currently under reconstruction, but only time and opportunity will tell if Qumain Black’s skills translate to the NFL level. After watching the above, he’ll be a guy that I’ll monitor closely in the preseason to see what he can do with his time on the field.
The fate most likely awaiting Black is a call from Pace or Fox a few weeks from now when the Bears begin making the necessary cuts to reduce the roster to the NFL-mandated 75 by 4:00pm on September 1st. On paper he’s among one of the likely first cuts, but he’ll have a chance to show why they should keep him around and defy the odds he’s currently facing. I’m anxious to see #39 suit up against the Dolphins on August 13th.
Next: Going Camping With the Bears In Bourbonnais