Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2016 18:34:35 GMT -6
What we've learned about the Bears cornerbacks at the bye
By: Lorin Cox | 7 hours ago
The Chicago Bears are on their bye week at the halfway point of the 2016 season, providing a perfect time to look back at what we’ve learned about each position group on the team through eight games.
Cornerback is the position that has dealt with the most injuries on the team by far, and that greatly reduced the level of play. It started with Kyle Fuller’s preseason knee surgery and continues with Tracy Porter and Bryce Callahan remaining on the injury report almost weekly.
Here’s what we’ve learned about the cornerbacks.
A motivated Tracy Porter is a good Tracy Porter
Tracy Porter (21) has been the Chicago Bears most consistent cornerback this season, which isn't saying a lot (GIF via NFL Game Pass).
There have been a few times this season when Porter’s effort and energy have been lacking on the field, but outside of that, he has been a solid starting cornerback. He’s battled through a lot of nagging injuries and made his fair share of mistakes, but he has been the most consistent at his position, which might not be saying much.
Bryce Callahan is a promising young player, when healthy
Cornerback Bryce Callahan (37) has struggled to stay healthy, but he has been very reliable when on the field (GIF via NFL Game Pass).
Callahan has missed two games already and left a handful of others with multiple injuries. The Bears haven’t been able to trust his availability from game-to-game, but when he has been healthy on the field, he’s continued to build off of his promising rookie season. He needs to find a way to stay in the game more.
Cre’Von LeBlanc was a great waiver-wire snag by Ryan Pace
Undrafted rookie free agent cornerback Cre'Von LeBlanc was an under-the-radar signing that has paid dividends so far (GIF via NFL Game Pass).
The addition of Cre’Von LeBlanc was overshadowed by the signing of Josh Sitton, but the undrafted rookie free agent slot cornerback has played well and seen his role increase by the week. He’s making the kind of impact that Callahan did last season, and LeBlanc looks like he has a spot in this young secondary moving forward.
Deiondre Hall is missing out on valuable playing time
Rookie cornerback Deiondre Hall (32) has shown flashes of his potential, but he needs to get healthy to fulfill it (GIF via NFL Game Pass).
If there was ever a time when the Bears could force playing time on their rookie fourth-round pick, it’s now, but Deiondre Hall missed the last four games with an ankle injury and continues to be the only player on the team unable to even practice. He showed flashes of his immense potential, but he needs to be on the field to fulfill it.
DeVante Bausby is still a work-in-progress
Cornerback DeVante Bausby (20) has not performed very well when thrown into the fire this season (GIF via NFL Game Pass).
The Bears cycled between Jacoby Glenn and DeVante Bausby at the bottom of their roster, and for the time being, they’ve settled on Bausby, the lesser of two evils. He hasn’t been useless, but it’s clear that he belongs as the number six cornerback on the depth chart.
Link to GIFs: bearswire.usatoday.com/2016/11/10/what-weve-learned-about-the-bears-cornerbacks-at-the-bye/#respond