Bears Depth Chart: Cornerback
Position Battle (Back-ups):
Veteran Sherick McManis will probably get a chance to compete for a back-up job, but after last year he doesn’t deserve it. He was roasted on a regular basis in his first chance to get regular defensive snaps. He’s an excellent special teams player so his spot on the roster is secure, but McManis didn’t show any signs of being good enough to play on a regular basis even in nickel or dime schemes.
A player who does have a chance to make a push for playing time in sub-packages is 2nd-year corner Jacoby Glenn. An undrafted rookie out of Central Florida who would have been drafted most years, he was a victim of a loaded 2014 draft class. At 6’1, 185, Glenn has put on almost ten pounds of muscle since being drafted and played well enough on the practice squad to be called up to the 53-man roster for the last few weeks of the 2015 season.
He lacks elite speed (4.60), but has excellent ball skills with nine interceptions despite leaving school after his sophomore year. Glenn high-points the ball well and is aggressive against the run even with his slight build. With the added muscle in run defense, length the Bears need at corner, and the ability to force turnovers… Glenn should have a chance to earn a spot in sub-packages this season.
Rookie Deiondre Hall has a combination of skills that can’t be matched by the rest of the Bears corner group in his height (6’2) and freakish arm length (34 3/8″). The combo of the two allow him to match up in jump balls with any receiver or tight end in the NFL. The question is whether Hall has the speed to be anywhere near the receiver when the ball gets there. He’s been timed anywhere from 4.55 (which is plenty fast enough) to 4.68 which isn’t even close.
Hall has a couple things in his favor in that he’s excellent against the run with 82 tackles last year and has elite ball skills with 13 interceptions over the last two seasons and 4 pick-6’s. Hall’s length, ball skills, and willingness to stuff the run will get him on the field somewhere whether it’s corner of safety (my guess).
Next: Position Battle (53-man Roster)