While the Chicago Bears have a lot of holes on their roster that need to be addressed during this offseason, one of the stronger units this season has been the secondary.
Headlined by two rookies from general manager Ryan Poles’ first draft class, the Bears’ secondary has actually shown some promise, as well as steady improvement throughout the season, despite getting hit with the injury bug down the stretch.
Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon, both second-round picks last season, played well next to successful veterans Eddie Jackson and Jaylon Johnson.
Chicago Bears should look to add a starter and depth to a young secondary
With what seems to be four quality starters, three of which are under contract past 2023, the secondary does not appear to be a major area of concern, but there is still some work that can be done to make this unit even stronger next season.
The Bears are currently ninth in the league in passing yards given up this season, which is all well and good, but might be skewed by the fact that teams are able to run the ball with the lead late in games versus Chicago (the Bears have had the second-fewest passes attempted against them this season).
Rounding out this secondary should help when the Bears are a more competitive team all around, especially if they can end up playing with a lead where teams are forced to pass in order to catch up late in games.
Improving the secondary does not only help the passing game, however. Better coverage in the secondary could lead to more time for pass-rushers (who may or may not currently be on the Bears’ roster), which would help a team who is currently dead last in quarterback sacks across the league.
Additionally, these defensive backs could help in the run game, where the Bears gave up the second most rushing yards amongst all NFL defenses.
So while the secondary is one of the stronger units of this team, improving the starting group as well as adding depth at these positions could turn the defensive backfield into one of the true strengths of this roster and the identity of the defense under a defensive-minded head coach in Matt Eberflus.
With plenty of cap space available for free agency and good draft capital that can really only get better, let’s take a look at five players the team could add to improve their secondary.