3 free agent cornerbacks Chicago Bears should spend big on

The Chicago Bears should spend big on Charvarius Ward

First, we look at one of the more underrated guys on the free agent board this year. He may not necessarily be the first name you think of when talking about spending big money at cornerback, but Charvarius Ward has earned himself a contract this offseason.

In 12 starts last year, Ward came up with 10 passes defensed and a pair of interceptions. His play was a big part of the Chiefs’ defensive turnaround mid-season last year.

Over the course of the 2021 season, Ward allowed quarterbacks to complete just over 51 percent of passes when he was targeted. He also allowed just a 79.4 opposing quarterback rating. To top it off, Ward allowed a career-low 6.7 yards per target in 2021.

Take Pro Football Focus grades for what you will, but out of a total of 116 eligible cornerbacks, Ward was ranked 21st last season. That’s pretty high praise for a guy that, outside of Chiefs fans, not many people knew about until last year.

The next two free agents are bound to get more money, therefore Ward could end up being the best bargain of these three guys. He’ll get paid, for sure, but probably not as much as these next two.