Post by AlexM on Aug 21, 2016 11:59:28 GMT -6
Jeff Dickerson
ESPN Staff Writer
GURNEE, Ill. -- Tracy Porter is keeping a level head about the Chicago Bears' current predicament at cornerback.
Opposite Porter, a nine-year NFL veteran, the Bears are razor thin on experience following starting cornerback Kyle Fuller's knee scope. Fuller is expected to miss the rest of the preseason, but the team has not ruled him out for Week 1 against the Houston Texans.
In Fuller's absence, the Bears are counting on untested cornerbacks Deiondre Hall, De'Vante Bausby and Jacoby Glenn, who entered the NFL's concussion protocol after Chicago's 23-22 preseason defeat at New England.
"The closer you get to that opening-season game, that's when you're like, 'OK, what type of injury does this guy have?'" Porter said on Saturday. "How long is it going to take him? We want him to come back 100 percent, but at the same time, as stingy as we are as selfish as we are, we want the guy to come back as fast as possible."
Porter added: "I'm not worried yet, because we still have two games to go. Those guys have done a tremendous job in rehab and taking care of their bodies, and the guys that we have left out there that are playing, we're trying to keep those guys healthy as well, as well as keep them up to speed because they're going to get a lot of reps coming up."
Hall, in particular, stands out for multiple reasons, the most important being that the Bears used a fourth-round pick on him in April. A tall cornerback (6-foot-2) with a long wingspan, Hall has been up and down in the preseason but still figures into the Bears' future plans. How quickly the Bears deploy Hall on defense depends on his development and on the organization's ability, or lack thereof, to find a suitable replacement on the open market between now and opening weekend.
"Deiondre, man, he's always been that competitor," Porter said. "Now it's just trying to clean up little technique issues. It's not anything terribly wrong that he's doing -- either staying too high when he's playing off coverage or not being in the right position when he's playing press coverage. Aside from the closing speed and the athletic ability, he has everything you need. You just got to clean up the little things."
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ESPN Staff Writer
GURNEE, Ill. -- Tracy Porter is keeping a level head about the Chicago Bears' current predicament at cornerback.
Opposite Porter, a nine-year NFL veteran, the Bears are razor thin on experience following starting cornerback Kyle Fuller's knee scope. Fuller is expected to miss the rest of the preseason, but the team has not ruled him out for Week 1 against the Houston Texans.
In Fuller's absence, the Bears are counting on untested cornerbacks Deiondre Hall, De'Vante Bausby and Jacoby Glenn, who entered the NFL's concussion protocol after Chicago's 23-22 preseason defeat at New England.
"The closer you get to that opening-season game, that's when you're like, 'OK, what type of injury does this guy have?'" Porter said on Saturday. "How long is it going to take him? We want him to come back 100 percent, but at the same time, as stingy as we are as selfish as we are, we want the guy to come back as fast as possible."
Porter added: "I'm not worried yet, because we still have two games to go. Those guys have done a tremendous job in rehab and taking care of their bodies, and the guys that we have left out there that are playing, we're trying to keep those guys healthy as well, as well as keep them up to speed because they're going to get a lot of reps coming up."
Hall, in particular, stands out for multiple reasons, the most important being that the Bears used a fourth-round pick on him in April. A tall cornerback (6-foot-2) with a long wingspan, Hall has been up and down in the preseason but still figures into the Bears' future plans. How quickly the Bears deploy Hall on defense depends on his development and on the organization's ability, or lack thereof, to find a suitable replacement on the open market between now and opening weekend.
"Deiondre, man, he's always been that competitor," Porter said. "Now it's just trying to clean up little technique issues. It's not anything terribly wrong that he's doing -- either staying too high when he's playing off coverage or not being in the right position when he's playing press coverage. Aside from the closing speed and the athletic ability, he has everything you need. You just got to clean up the little things."
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