Bears Questions: Do They Have a 4th Cornerback?

Sep 3, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Bryce Callahan (37) breaks up a pass intended for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Darius Jennings (10) during the second half at Soldier Field. Chicago won 24-0. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Bryce Callahan (37) breaks up a pass intended for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Darius Jennings (10) during the second half at Soldier Field. Chicago won 24-0. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

My series of Bears off-season questions continues with an important one… Do the Bears have a legitimate 4th cornerback? NFL teams passed more often last season than any season in the history of the league and that number keeps going up every year. It’s no longer unusual to see three-receiver sets, it’s unusual when you don’t. Even four and five receiver sets are becoming commonplace.

To combat the proliferation of multi-receiver sets, teams need to have at least four competent corners if not five or six. How many do the Bears have?

Right now the Bears have three decent corners with Kyle Fuller and Tracy Porter as starters on the outside and last year’s surprise (to most) undrafted rookie Bryce Callahan as the Bears primary slot corner.

That leaves the Bears with potentially three solid corners, but what does that mean against four and five receiver sets? It means the Bears need to have quality coverage safeties (which they one have one of right now) and a series of questions marks at the cornerback position.

I’ll be breaking down the Bears options in sub-packages at the cornerback position over the rest of the article. It’s not an ideal situation, which is why I recently suggested the Bears sign a veteran or two at cornerback.

Do the Bears have a 4th Cornerback?

I mentioned the Bears three starters at corner above, but after that it’s pretty bleak. On the Bears 90-man roster, which will eventually be cut down to 53, the Bears have just Jacoby Glenn, Sherrick McManis, De’Vante Bausby, Deiondre Hall, Treveze Calhoun, and Kevin Peterson as cornerback options.

Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of most of those guys since most of the NFL hasn’t either. I’ll breakdown each of them and their chances of contributing for the Bears this year below.

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