Chicago Bears Training Camp Preview: Cornerbacks

With the Chicago Bears officially reporting to training camp in Bourbonnais, Illinois it’s time to begin previewing each of the Bears individual positional groups on the roster. Today, we look at tight ends.

We’ve already previewed the Chicago Bears quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends.

The cornerback position has been one of the better positions all throughout the Ryan Pace era. And now, things are finally looking as if they are coming together for this group.

Last year, the cornerbacks did a great job defending opposing wide receivers, allowing only one wide receiver to have a 100-yard game.

That stat alone should get fans excited for all this group can do. Looking at some of the wide receivers this team faced last year (Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Mike Evans), it’s clear that this can be one of the NFL’s best positional groups.

2017 Cornerbacks:

• Prince Amukamara
• Kyle Fuller
• Bryce Callahan
• Marcus Cooper
• Cre’Von LeBlanc
• Sherrick McManis

Last year, the Chicago Bears started the season with three starting cornerbacks as Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara, and Marcus Cooper all played a significant number of snaps. Halfway through the season, Cooper was benched, which meant that Fuller and Amukamara were the primary starters.

The rest of the group (Callahan, LeBlanc, McManis) all were valuable contributors in sub-packages effectively stopping slot receivers.

For the upcoming season, the Bears could have a few new faces in the cornerback room.

2018 Cornerbacks:

• Prince Amukamara
• Kyle Fuller
• Bryce Callahan
• Marcus Cooper
• Doran Grant
• Cre’Von LeBlanc
• Sherrick McManis
• Jonathan Mincy
• Kevin Toliver II

Like last season, the two starters are once again expected to be Amukamara and Fuller. Both were signed to new deals this offseason, ensuring that they would be with the team through at least 2020.

With McManis, Callahan, and LeBlanc back, it’s likely that at least two of the three ends up being on the roster. However, from there on, the cornerback picture gets a little cloudy.

A Hidden Gem?

Every year, it seems like Ryan Pace somehow finds a player that rises from mid-round draft pick to become a valuable contributor for the Bears. Recent examples include Eddie Jackson, Nick Kwiatkoski, and Jordan Howard.

This year, the Bears could see an undrafted free agent make the roster and become a valuable contributor. One name that’s already impressed is LSU cornerback Kevin Toliver.

In his draft profile, Toliver was expected to be a day two or day three pick, but for unknown reasons, he was not drafted. As soon as the draft had concluded, he was the first signing the Bears made.

There are many reasons to expect him to make the Bears final 53-man roster.  First off, he’s got the perfect height and length needed to play as a cornerback in Vic Fangio’s system. Second, while he may not be a ball hawk, he does a great job of breaking up passes. In his final season at LSU, he broke up ten passes.

Toliver may not start right away, but if he performs consistently in training camp, he could begin the season listed as the third cornerback on the Bears depth chart. That would mean that he’d get significant playing time in the slot.

It may be just one practice, but it’s clear that Toliver is here to prove that he deserves a roster spot in the NFL.

Who makes the cut?

As of right now, it’s difficult to see who gets a seat in the Chicago Bears cornerback room for 2018. Each player possesses their own advantages. It is really, towards the bottom of the depth chart where the tougher decisions will be made.

As of right now, the 2018 cornerbacks room could look something like this:

• Kyle Fuller
• Prince Amukamara
• Kevin Toliver II
• Bryce Callahan
• Sherrick McManis
• Cre’Von LeBlanc

Of these six, only Toliver was not on the roster in 2017. The other three (Callahan, McManis, and LeBlanc) have shown that they can be effective in key situations. For example, in third-and-long situations, the Bears rushed three, while eight players dropped back in coverage. Last year, Callahan had two interceptions, with his longest one being a 52-yard return.

The other two, McManis and LeBlanc did little things like breaking up passes last year in limited action, which makes them good options as guys who can be called on when needed.

Conclusion

Fans should expect another strong season out of this group in 2018. As the Bears enter their fourth year in Vic Fangio’s defense, things are beginning to come together, especially in the secondary. If this group can once again repeat the year it had in 2017, where they held every wide receiver but one to under 100 yards, chances are they people start talking about this as one of the NFL’s best secondary.