Chicago Bears: Jacoby Glenn Delivers Boost to Ailing Defense
Each player knows that their position is not entirely promised. For Jacoby Glenn, playing in the NFL for the Chicago Bears is a job worth fighting for.
The analysis on cornerback Jacoby Glenn out of Central Florida was that he had outstanding hands and played the ball. He has a feel for deep routes and recognizes when to turn and run. A consistent wrap-up tackler who can break down in space and sticks to his target. Unfortunately, he is a skinny guy and can be tight in the hips, which can limit his athleticism. Glenn tends to open his hips too early in press coverage and doesn’t have natural feet or the deep speed to be steady in man coverage, especially in space.
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But his weaknesses soon disappeared once he started for the Chicago Bears. As an undrafted free agent in 2015, he spent the majority of the time on the practice squad making the most of his opportunities. Glenn has an incredible work ethic that has been highly regarding by head coach John Fox. A true lover of the game, he has displayed a passion as a ball hawk on the field.
"“He has no problem sticking his nose in there. He’s very competitive.” – Head coach John Fox"
Glenn has been exceptional in his ability to mirror his opponents. In the preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, Glenn was instinctive in coverage on wide receiver Josh Gordon. He was able read the play from quarterback Josh McCown and pick off a pass to Gordon for the interception. On several occasions, his instincts in reading a quarterback resulted in some deflected passes. Glenn has improved in press coverage by not allowing too much space in the deep route. He does lack the quickness against a speedy receiver, but he will make every effort to get their prior to the pass.
Coming into season, Glenn has 17 solo tackles and five deflected passes. While Kyle Fuller has been out with an injury, Glenn has stepped in quite nicely. He played very well against the Houston Texans, flying all over the field and making plays. Though he did get beat by Nelson Agholor in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he made up for it jetting down the sideline to break up a Carson Wentz pass. Even in getting thrashed by the Cowboys, Glenn showed flashes of his talent.
Against the Texans, it was Glenn’s job to cover rookie wideout Will Fuller. For the most part, he did his job but missed some key tackles that allowed Fuller to advance. Glenn has a lot to prove, especially with the additional cornerbacks picked up through the 2016 NFL Draft. Deiondre’ Hall and DeAndre Houston-Carson have also performed well causing quite a competition. But even though Glenn is not in a starting position on defense, he will continue to be an integral part of the special teams unit and step in as the next man up.
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With his aggressive style, he can push himself to make plays without getting hit with penalties. That’s pretty good. In two games he has only one penalty, a holding call that was for five yards. If he continues to be the playmaker he is striving to be, he just might give the defense the boost they have been looking for in the backfield.