Slotting a Bears Corner for Success

The lack of a proven Bears slot cornerback has been a persistent problem over the last few years and free agency could be one way of solving it.

Considering their struggles to sustain a pass rush and help out their secondary, any Bears draft or start to free agency without looking first at the defensive line is pointless.

They also can't be too happy with an offensive line that allowed Justin Fields to be sacked 55 times, especially one so unsettled they had nine different starting lines.

"We're always going to look at pass rushers, we're going to look at offensive linemen, corners," Bears GM Ryan Poles said. "So that's where we're always going to start and see can we play winning football with premium positions and then we move from there."

No doubt.

Wait, corners?

The Bears just devoted their entire offseason, it seemed, to fixing their secondary and it helped before injuries and lack of a pass rush unraveled the entire thing by season's end. 

Kyler Gordon really looked the part when moved back to the outside at the end of the season, after struggling at times learning the slot cornerback spot.

When healthy, Jaylon Johnson was no less effective in coverage than in his first two seasons but he's not a slot cornerback.

The slot position remains problematic.

Their team third-down defensive production reflected their problems at the nickel or slot cornerback position. Although their overall quarterback rating on defense improved from last in the league to 25th, their third down percentage dropped all the way to last in the league by a wide margin at 49.02%.

They could try putting Gordon there again. Undrafted rookie Josh Blackwell displayed promise. However, Blackwell only played 133 snaps on defense and while his completion percentage against when targeted was a very respectable 53.8%, he allowed big plays so his passer rating against was 100.5. That should excite no one except opposing receivers and QBs. 

If the Bears found a way to bring in a proven slot cornerback, they could use Gordon outside where his most effective play has occurred. Their secondary would become feared.

Drafting one is less of an option as the worst cornerbacks are playing the slot in college and they're not getting into the NFL. The best college cornerbacks generally are starting outside and they'll convert in the NFL if they have great quickness, lateral movement, reactions and physicality to handle receivers. But they need to gain NFL slot experience first because most haven't played there or have done it only occasionally.

Playing with great intelligence offsets some physical deficiencies, especially in the slot. It often becomes a cat-and-mouse game with the quarterback looking over the middle to slot receivers.

The other thing about slot cornerbacks is better ones can be expensive. It's why some teams will risk using undrafted players or later draft picks at such a critical position.

The Bears over the years found slot cornerbacks both ways. They developed Bryce Callahan an undrafted free agent. They had D.J. Moore doing it in 2010.

However, they once went the little-used restricted free agency route and stole away Ricky Manning from Carolina a year after they lost to Manning and the Panthers in the playoffs. It paid off as he was a key cog in their run to Super Bowl XLI.

There are better slot cornerbacks who could be available this year for the Bears via free agency if they choose to keep Gordon where he was most effective on the outside, and did not want to experiment with an untested player in such a critical role.

Cam Sutton, Steelers

Has a market value of $7.6 million per year via Spotrac.com and the ability to play outide or the slot. Sutton got moved outside for the last two seasons by the Steelers, struggled in 2021 but bounced back this past season. The Steelers have always valued corners who can man up and Sutton has been able to do this. Sportradar tracked him at a 65.3 passer rating against on the outside this year, an outstanding figure after he was 104.9 last year. The thing is, he was at 78.9 and 54.1 as a slot the previous two seasons. The Bears with Sutton would have the ability put either him or Gordon in the slot or outside and blanket the secondary.

Jonathan Jones, Patriots

With a market value for Spotrac of $12.4 million, he has been a slot corner much of his career but played outside last season. He definitely produced playing outside and had career bests of four interceptions and a 73.0 passer rating against. However, he could always move back inside if necessary, like Sutton.

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Eagles

Ah yes, the mouth that roared. The man who baited Anthony Miller and Javon Wims into getting tossed from 2020 games has been with the Eagles this season and would have no doubt been in the Pro Bowl if not for an injury. Spotrac.com says he deserves a $14 million a year pay day after playing safety all year instead of slot cornerback and making a league-high six interceptions. It's a lot to pay for a slot corner and even lot for a safety, but worthwhile if he's an experienced, proven safety.

Troy Hill, Browns

Pro Football Focus had Hill graded as the sixth best slot cornerback before he left the Rams for the Browns and no longer had Jalen Ramsey as a backstop. Then he struggled and wound up back in L.A. for 2022. He improved greatly then, but not to the level he had been. He'll be 32, which isn't ideal for a demanding position like the slot. Spotrac.com puts him at $3.6 million projected annual value.

Tavierre Thomas, Texans

A potential lower-cost bargain for a cover-2 team seeking a dependable slot cornerback. A former Browns player who played the last two years in Houston. He had a passer rating against when targeted of only 63.3 and 72.8 playing in a similar defensive system to what the Bears run, and allowed 61.9% and 62.2% completions in those seasons. He has two interceptions and made five pass breakups. A quad injury coming out of preseason left him on injured reserve until midseason in 2022 so he got into only 10 games. He's in his sixth season and is 26 years old.

P.J. Williams, Saints

The Saints have moved him around the last few years, playing boths lot and outside. He was on IR for fuor games last year and missed two games with a knee sprain. He is coming off one of his worst seasons, largely because of the disruption of injuries. But the year before had a passer rating against of 60.7 and 90.6 the previous year. Hughes' only season with a passer rating against below 100 came in 2019 with the Vikings. He has three career interceptions and 20 pass defenses.

Mike Hughes, Lions

The former Vikings and Chiefs cornerback had to move around plenty last year. He has played both slot but not with a great degree of success at either.

Bryce Callahan, Chargers

The former Bears cornerback played for a minimum level salary last year and was effective with an 80.0 passer rating against and 64.8% completed. He also had a career-high three interceptions, but he's now 31 so a big contract might not be the issue. What might be an issue if the Bears were interested is the scheme he'd be playing. He was always in the Vic Fangio defense in Chicago, then with the Broncos and last year with the Chargers under Fangio protege Brandon Staley. That scheme was cover-3 oriented with excessive disguises. How would he do in this cover-2 style scheme?

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