Looking at the Chicago Bears’ Needs: The Cornerback Position
Published by Bryan Dietzler on April 18, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have been blessed to have someone with the kind of talent at the cornerback position that Charles Tillman possesses.
After several seasons playing in Chicago’s defense at a high level, Tillman was finally honored with a Pro Bowl invitation after a solid season last year. And while there are some that may feel that he’s not always consistent (he does have breakdowns every now and then), he’s been a very viable option for Chicago at the cornerback spot.
Looking back at last year’s group, you had Tillman starting at one spot and then Tim Jennings starting on the opposite side. While Jennings was able to hold his own at times, there were other times he suffered breakdowns, and opponents were able to take advantage of these opportunities.
Jennings is serviceable at best but is not the long-term answer for the Bears opposite Tillman.
Other than Tillman and Jennings, the Bears’ other players at the cornerback position currently on the roster include the newly signed Kelvin Hayden and Jonathan Wilhite, nickel back D.J. Moore and first-year player Donovan Warren.
As you can see, this doesn’t leave the Bears much behind Tillman and Jennings. The Bears look like they are just one injury away from having some serious issues at the position.
So would it be wise for the Bears to try to pick up some depth at the cornerback position or possibly even a starter in this draft? Is it high time that the Bears spent one of their higher picks on a player that could come in and compete for a starting spot? Or do they just need to add more depth and give themselves some different options at the position?
The team knows that Jennings isn’t the long-term answer opposite Tillman but may be thinking that Wilhite or Hayden could solve their problems there. But if Wilhite and Hayden were good enough to start, they wouldn’t have been available to the Bears as free agents this offseason. These guys are just temporary fixes to a long-standing issue.
The Bears clearly need help at the position and need to find that help early in the 2012 NFL draft. They could possibly look for it with their first-round pick, as there should be a few players around No. 19 that could interest them and have an impact right away.
Or they could wait until another early round (second or third) to select someone to compete with Jennings for that spot opposite Tillman.
It’s even more possible that the Bears could seek depth in the mid to late rounds of the draft, with the hope that someone will be able to step up and make a difference. But knowing how a lot of mid- to late-round draft picks turn out, the Bears could be waiting awhile for production from a player when they really need that production now.
Wouldn’t it be better for the Bears to take someone early so that person can come in and play right away?
So it’s clear and easy to see that the Bears need to get the cornerback position shored up, not only to find better talent, but also to find some depth. If they are unable to do that, then they will struggle at the position, especially if there is an injury.
Next Up: Five Cornerback Prospects that Could Interest the Bears
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