Can Lamar Jackson take advantage of some weak competition?
Lamar Jackson finds himself in a solid situation heading into the 2022 NFL season. His competition is not the strongest and it could give him plenty of opportunities to succeed this year. The question will come down to how well he can impress the new coaching staff and also depends on the play around him. However, as of right now, it’s definitely possible for Lamar Jackson to make the final roster of the Chicago Bears.
If the team is going to keep the same number of players as they did in 2021 (remember this is a new coaching staff), then this climb might be too tall. Last year, the last regime kept eight defensive backs — four corners and four safeties. However, looking at how the Colts handled their final roster last season, the team kept 10 defensive backs and six were corners. With the new scheme in place, I think it’s safe to say that the Chicago Bears will likely keep five to six corners this season. This gives Lamar Jackson more hope to make the final squad.
Can Lamar Jackson take advantage of some weaker backend competition?
I’ll be honest, I liked Lamar Jackson as a prospect coming out of Nebraska. He was a guy I liked to take late in my 2020 mock drafts. I liked his size and thought he’d be a nice addition to the backend depth as an outside cornerback. What Jackson lacks is speed. He doesn’t have the type of speed to keep up with guys in man coverage, but he could find a home in a system that uses more zone coverage — Cover 2 zone is the base defense the Bears will be running under Matt Eberflus.
Now, can Lamar Jackson prove himself enough to make the final roster? Let’s take a look at who is a lock at making the final roster first.
Locks to make the Chicago Bears final 53-man roster at cornerback
- Jaylon Johnson
- Kyler Gordon
- Thomas Graham, Jr.
- Tavon Young
This leaves two roster spots (if they keep six CBs) to fight for between now and September. These are the names left and Lamar Jackson has as good of a shot as any:
- Kindle Vildor
- Duke Shelley
- Lamar Jackson
- Greg Stroman, Jr.
- BoPete Keyes
- Jayson Stanley
- Allie Green, IV
When I look at these names, Kindle Vildor is one that stands out as a solid option for making the final roster. I am not as high on him as others, but he has proven himself worthy of a backend roster spot. Duke Shelley is not worth keeping in my opinion. We have seen enough of him to know what he is at this point and that’s replaceable. There are three names on this list that I think fight it out for the final spot and they are Lamar Jackson, Greg Stroman, and BoPete Keyes.
It is too early to tell which one of these three will push to make the Bears’ final roster, but the competition is wide open. Lamar Jackson has just as good of a chance as any of them.