Cornerbacks
LCB
1. Tracy Porter- Porter was re-signed after having a surprisingly solid campaign in 2015. Porter was signed off the scrap heap by Pace, but found himself in the starting line-up and did an admirable job against some of the team’s better wide receivers. Porter started tailing off at the end of last season so whether or not he can repeat his 2015 performance is up for debate.
2. Deiondre Hall- Hall was an impact player at Northern Iowa and showed plenty of potential. The Bears hope that potential manifests itself into a solid NFL corner. He has ability against the run and is a decent pass defender, but doesn’t have tremendous speed and making the leap from UNI to the NFL won’t be easy. Hall will take some time to develop but should safely be on the Bears 2016 roster.
RCB
1. Kyle Fuller- No one on the Bears defense has been more inconsistent than Fuller. He made a huge splash as a rookie early, but tailed off that season and had some dreadful games early in 2015. Fuller played better as the season went on, but hasn’t shown shutdown corner ability to this point. Fuller will have to play consistently better if the Bears secondary is to show any improvement in 2016.
2. Taveze Calhoun- Calhoun is an undrafted rookie out of Mississippi State. Several scouts like his abilities and many were surprised he went undrafted. He’s a smart player that reads offenses and routes well, but may not have the overall athleticism needed to succeed at the NFL level.
Nickel Corner
1. Bryce Callahan- Callahan was an undrafted rookie last season, but he worked his way up the ranks and was seeing significant time as the nickel corner towards the end of last season. Callahan fits well into Vic Fangio’s scheme and was recently named the seventh best nickel corner in the NFL by Sports Illustrated. Callahan should continue to develop and should be even better with a full season starting under Fangio.
2. Sherick McManis- McManis is a local product that has been on the roster since 2012. The Bears have several young defensive backs that they have drafted and signed that will compete with McManis for a roster spot, but one thing that McManis has up on the competition- special teams. McManis is a special teams ace that earned him a two-year contract this offseason. That alone should keep him on the Bears’ roster.
Player to Watch: Kevin Peterson- Peterson is the best undrafted rookie in the NFL- just ask him. He certainly doesn’t lack confidence and has a chip on his shoulder after he wasn’t selected in the draft. Peterson was a three-year starter for Oklahoma State but had some injuries and some bad numbers at the combine that may have hurt him. If Peterson proves those concerns false, the Bears may have themselves a steal.