Jaylon Johnson is a lock to be the Chicago Bears’ No. 1 cornerback after the team cut Kyle Fuller in a salary-cap dump in the offseason. But who starts opposite the second-year defensive back?
As the Bears continue progressing through training camp, the Tribune is taking a look at each position group. Today: Cornerbacks.
Currently on roster: 10
Projected on final roster: 5
Roster locks: Jaylon Johnson, Kindle Vildor, Desmond Trufant
Good bets: Thomas Graham Jr., Duke Shelley
On the bubble: Artie Burns, Xavier Crawford, Teez Tabor
Practice squad candidates: Tre Roberson, Dionte Ruffin
Biggest offseason development
It has been quite a while since the Bears had a bigger surprise cut than Kyle Fuller
More Top Picks Asus Rog Rapture Gt6
. The salary-cap dip combined with an annual habit of restructuring contracts of some of the team’s highest-paid players caught up to the front office. Something significant had to happen, and that turned out to be releasing Fuller with one year remaining on his deal. Fuller was set to earn $14 million and by releasing him the team freed $11 million in cap space but also created a big hole in the secondary. Fuller quickly reunited with former coach Vic Fangio, signing a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos. The Bears felt good about Jaylon Johnson’s rookie season and hope he’s poised for a big step forward. Opposite Johnson there is a competition between Desmond Trufant and Kindle Vildor, but either way that figures to be a step down from Fuller.What to like
Johnson looked like a seasoned veteran for most of his rookie season. Sure, there were a few “aha” moments for the second-round pick from Utah, but reality is he looked more like a first-round pick.
Had Johnson not had shoulder issues coming out of school, he probably would have been a first-rounder. A shoulder injury sidelined him for the final three regular-season games and the playoff loss at New Orleans. The injury didn’t require surgery and Johnson said it’s not something that’s on his mind as camp opens.
Johnson was versatile last season and could be one of the guys that benefits with the shift to defensive coordinator Sean Desai. He’s strong enough to play physical man-to-man coverage on the right side, and remember that Fangio used to lock Prince Amukamara in solo coverage on the back side. That could be something Desai does with Johnson on a regular basis. Despite missing the final three games, Johnson was fourth in the NFC with 15 passes broken up. One of the challenges now is turning some of those into takeaways.
Biggest question
Who will win the starting job opposite Jaylon Johnson?
The Bears signed Trufant shortly after the opening of free agency, getting him on a one-year, minimum deal. Injuries have hampered him the last two seasons. Hamstring issues limited him to only six games in Detroit last year and GM Ryan Pace indicated the team is being proactive in trying to help the former Atlanta Falcons first-round pick avoid similar soft-tissue injuries.
“But Trufant we still feel has the stickiness to play man coverage, the suddenness, all those things,” Pace said. “It’ll be good to see it all play out this camp.”
Vildor gota look last season, playing in place of Johnson in the playoff game and getting 135 snaps in the regular season. It’s hard to put too much stock in the playoff game because Saints quarterback Drew Brees couldn’t throw the ball downfield, so Vildor didn’t face a complete test. But Vildor was competitive in late-season games giving the front office enough confidence the former fifth-round pick was ready to push for more playing time.
“He definitely can push for the starting job,” Pace said. “He has that kind of ability, and he looked really good this offseason. The sky’s the limit for him.”
If Vildor prevailed, it would be interesting to see the Bears have two second-year players in the starting lineup. Certainly it would be a terrific in terms of the salary cap, but they’re going to face some big-time quarterbacks and young players can be exposed on occasion.
Fresh face
Pace used the last of three picks in Round 6 to add Thomas Graham Jr., and with Duke Shelley not taking the nickel job and running with it when Buster Skrine was injured a year ago, Graham is getting at least an early shot to earn some playing time. Shelley clearly has the edge with some previous NFL experience at a position that asks a lot of young players. Graham opted out a year ago at Oregon but appeared in 40 games from 2017-19 and was regularly around the ball with eight picks and 32 pass breakups.
You should know
With the exception of the 2018 season when the Bears led the NFL with 27 interceptions, they’ve struggled taking the ball away in recent years. The defense totaled 10 interceptions in 2020, 10 in 2019 and eight in three consecutive seasons from 2015-17. It’s not a Fangio versus Chuck Pagano thing.
Quote of note
“Like I said in spring, I’ve got a real positive outlook at the cornerback position,. I think Jaylon’s obviously done a good job and I think we’ve got a real seasoned vet in Trufant, who’s able to show his skillset. Kindle’s been coming along and he’s shown that he’s proven that he’s earned the right in this league to stick around through his performance in games last year.” — Sean Desai, Bears defensive coordinator
Big number
$12.3 million
Combined amount of dead cap space Fuller and Skrine account for this season. Ultimately, that’s going to be more than double the cap space the five or six cornerbacks on the 53-man roster take up. If young players ascend, it bodes well for the future. However, risk is involved.
Sign up for alerts on your phone, desktop and inbox to stay current with the latest news
Sign up for our sports newsletter, delivered daily each morning