Bear Digest

Bears look serious about secondary by meeting with top Texas DBs

One of the draft[s top cornerbacks and safeties reportedly had the attention of the Bears a day after Texas held their pro day.

Gene Chamberlain

Jahdae Barron of Texas breaks up a pass to Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka in the national semifinals.
Jahdae Barron of Texas breaks up a pass to Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka in the national semifinals. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bears interest in players with Texas continued on over into Wednesday after the Tuesday pro day as they got serious about top players available in the secondary.

The position choices were interesting and the talent elite.

According to a report by Tony Pauline of Sports Skeeda, the Bears were one of three teams visiting with Texas safety Andrew Mukuba and also with cornerback Jahdae Barron.

Mukuba would be understandable as a possible third-round type of pick at a position of need.

The former Clemson and Texas player is regarded as the seventh-best safety in the draft by Pro Football Focus and fifth best by ESPN's Matt Miller and Field Yates. He's viewed as a third-rounder by NFL Mock Draft Database.

The Bears do not have a safety under contract for 2026 so obviously they'll be looking at the position with an eye on the future in the draft, even if they have Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks, Alex Cook, Jonathan Owens and Tarvarius Moore under contract for this year.

The intriguing part of these meetings is the interest in Barron, a cornerback called the second best in the draft by Mel Kiper Jr., Miller and Yates, as well as PFF. In fact PFF calls him the seventh best player in this draft and he ran 4.39 at the combine.

The Bears could be looking at cornerbacks to provide serious competition to Tyrique Stevenson, who last year had moments of excellence and too many disasters.

They could actually consider Barron for any number of secondary positions.

"Most definitely, a few teams have talked to me about playing safety, either nickel or just with run fits," Barron told combine reporters. "It's all been a blessing. A lot of teams asked me which I preferred. I told them I want to play all of them.

"It always was beneficial to me. (Former DBs) coach (Terry) Joseph taught me if I could know all of them, I'd have a better understanding of what everybody's job was supposed to be when I was at different positions, knowing everybody's responsibilities. It allowed me to play much faster, knowing his point was A to B and my point was C to D. Things like that. I put it together and made it my little chess game."

It wasn't just talk, either. He actually played the positions.

"I played dime, corner, safety and nickel," said Barron, who oozes confidnce. "Having that in my bag and knowing I can be moved around and to benefit anybody's team, I know that will help."

Another potential point of interest is as a strategic bluff in the draft.

After all, a team might want the second-best cornerback and be willing to trade up to No. 10 if there is a chance to land him if they thought there was a chance he'd be taken.

Some mock drafts project have the 49ers taking Barron at No. 11 right after the Bears. But if the Bears also have interest in Barron, earnest or not, they could always essentiall hold the 49ers to a "ransom trade" and go back for an extra pick.

Either way, best athlete available at No. 10 could very well be Barron if the PFF rankings are accurate and no team ever gets worse by taking the highest player on their draft board unless they've got a mistake in their rankings.

As numerous coaches at Halas Hall have said over the years, you never have enough cornerbacks.

They're starting out now in a new defensive scheme emphasizing more press coverage than in the past, although not to the point where they'd be in man-to-man coverage half the time.

"I'm definitely confident in zone and man," Barron said. "I played man in the slot. I played man even in our zone coverage. Our Cover-3 was a match-3."

In five Texas seasons, Barron made eight interceptions, 24 pass breakups and three fumble recoveries.

Mukuba made six interceptions, including five in his one Texas season, and had 23 pass breakups.

The interest came a day after they have extended a 30-visit invitation to Longhorns speed burner wide receiver Isaiah Bond.

The receiver situation was expected because of Ben Johnson’s penchant for speed in the attack. The safety need explained the interest in Mukuba,

The interest in Barron is something the Bears would need to explain through their actions on draft day.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.