In my opinion Rolle was a liability last season, but in case you need some statistical backup… Pro Football Focus graded Rolle as the 36th best safety last season (Whitner was 24th) and Rotoworld ranked Rolle near the bottom of all the starting safeties in league, while Whitner was in top half with an above average grade.
Whitner is three years younger than Rolle and has legitimate skills as a run-stopper and big-hitter over the middle, while Rolle brings no tangible value to the table and may have even less range than Whitner. Under Fangio’s tutelage Whitner had the best seasons of his ten-year career and a reunion may be the best case for both parties.
Fangio has always preferred safeties who are versatile enough to play either in the box or deep in coverage in order to disguise his schemes, but is Rolle good at either anymore? From what I saw on the field last year, Rolle’s days of a starting caliber safety are over. Rolle was dealing with injuries, so maybe he’s healthy and more effective this year… I guess that would explain the Bears lack of interest in seemingly better free agent options like Reggie Nelson, Tashaun Gipson, or George Iloka.
If Rolle is the same player he was in 2015, or even worse being 33 now, he may be a weakness against both the run and pass. At least Whitner can make a positive impact vs the run while providing a dangerous presence in the middle of the field that the Bears haven’t had in decades.
The other option is drafting a safety early or turning the job over to a young player like Harold Jones-Quartey. I’d prefer either of those options to another year of Rolle in the starting lineup. If Rolle is the best option on the roster right now, then it makes sense for the Bears to at least check the price tag on Whitner. Worst case, Whitner will improve the run defense and intimidation factor of the Bears defense, where all Rolle adds is a weak spot for opposing offenses to exploit.