Chicago Bears: 5 players who may lose their job in 2021
By Ryan Heckman
Chicago Bears who may lose their job in 2021: Duke Shelley
At the moment, Duke Shelley is the next man up in the cornerback room if either Jaylon Johnson or Desmond Trufant were to get hurt. He’s also in the mix for the slot cornerback job. Both he and Kindle Vildor are in similar positions, but with Shelley being a bit more experienced, he’s currently ahead of Vildor on the unofficial depth chart, if you will.
Shelley hasn’t exactly done anything to dramatically impress since being drafted in the sixth round back in 2019, and the Bears could see a fellow sixth-round pick jump ahead of him on the depth chart this year.
Rookie Thomas Graham Jr. out of Oregon is a strong candidate to come in and leapfrog Shelley on the depth chart and either become the Bears’ third cornerback or even their starter in the slot. He’s a versatile corner who can play both inside and outside, and he’s a physical player.
Because of Graham’s size and strength, he would fare much better in the slot than Shelley, specifically. The slot corners have to be a bit more physical if they’re going to make a difference, and that’s exactly the type of player Graham is. Watch out for Graham this summer. He’s going to work his way up the depth chart in a hurry, even as a sixth-rounder.