Chicago Bears: Secondary Becoming Quite Crowded

The Chicago Bears secondary has quickly become quite crowed. As a result, some tough decisions are going to have to be made.

The Chicago Bears 2017 NFL free agency plan didn’t go exactly the way they wanted to. General manager Ryan Pace swung and missed with star cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and A.J. Bouye, as well as with up-and-coming safety Tony Jefferson. As a result, Plan B had to be put into place, and that apparently included adding as many secondary players as they possibly could.

The Bears resigned cornerbacks Bryce Callahan and Jonathan Banks, as well as safety Chris Prosinski. Then the team signed free agent corners Marcus Cooper and Prince Amukamara, and safety Quintin Demps. That’s six players on top of 11 secondary members already on the roster:

So, as of right now, the Bears have 17 secondary players on the roster, plus whoever the team drafts. The team figures to keep nine, maybe ten, secondary members on the 53-man roster, so seven or eight players have got to go, right?

Let’s look at the players who most likely won’t be on the opening day roster. It’s pretty safe to assume that De’Vante Bausby, Jacoby Glenn, and even Banks won’t make it. So that’s three spots down right there. However, after that, it’s tough to eliminate players. Cooper was given a three-year, $16 million ($8 million guaranteed) contract, and Amukamara is guaranteed $7 million this season, so they appear to be locked in as the starters. Demps signed in Chicago to be a starter, so his spot is obviously safe as well.

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Kyle Fuller’s fifth-year option was not picked up, so his days in Chicago could be numbered. He’s still under contract (and he was a first-round pick), but the new regime have no ties to him. Unless he really flashes in training camp, Fuller is probably gone, so that makes four open spots (out of seven or eight).

Adrian Amos has been a starter for the past two seasons and is still young. Therefore, his spot probably is safe. Ditto for Deon Bush (even though he was non-existent last season), Cre’Von LeBlanc, and Bryce Callahan, with the two latter competing for the nickel corner spot.

Harold Jones-Quartey was an undrafted free agent and has been a below-average starter, so his spot could be in jeopardy. For the sake of things, let’s just consider him gone, which makes five spots gone and two (or three) more to go.

Deiondre’ Hall was just arrested and his future is murky. The Bears drafted Hall in the fourth round last year, so they’ll give him every opportunity to make the 53-man roster. His arrest doesn’t help, but remember, this is the front office that thought it was a good idea to give domestic violence abuser Ray McDonald a contract in 2015. DeAndre Houston-Carson, primarily a special teams contributor, was a sixth-round pick in 2016 and also is a good bet to make the roster.

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So, that leaves Chris Prosinski, Sherrick McManis, and Tracy Porter. Two of them (or all three) need to go. Prosinski is a solid backup and special teams player, making his spot is likely safe. That means that McManis (also a special teamer) and Porter are gone. McManis doesn’t really contribute on defense, so his loss wouldn’t be detrimental. Porter, on the other hand, has been a starter for the past two years and was rewarded with a three-year, $12 million contract last offseason. However, Porter’s play was suspect in 2016, and the Bears could move on from him and take only a $600,000 cap hit. Porter doesn’t play the slot, and there’s simply no room for him on the outside.

In summary, here’s who the Bears probably will cut: Jonathan Banks, De’Vante Bausby, Jacoby Glenn, Kyle Fuller, Harold Jones-Quartey, Sherrick McManis and Tracy Porter.

And here’s who will still be standing (before the draft): Marcus Cooper, Prince Amukamara, Quintin Demps, Adrian Amos, Bryce Callahan, Cre’Von LeBlanc, Deiondre’ Hall, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Chris Prosinski and Deon Bush.

Next: Grading Each Bears' Free Agent Signings

So, before the draft even arrives, here’s how the secondary is shaping up. It’s a convoluted mess with more questions than answers. If the Bears do add more players through the draft (as expected), it’s going to get even more confusing.

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