Chicago Bears: 5 Underrated targets in 2018 NFL Free Agency
5. Bene Benwikere, CB
The Chicago Bears put together a solid group of cornerbacks last season. Kyle Fuller finally lived up to his first-round pedigree and Prince Amukamara was a solid stop-gap player at the position. Bryce Callahan continued to play strong in the slot and show some ability on the outside, while Cre’von LeBlanc still has some upside on the inside.
Unfortunately, the Bears’ top three cornerbacks are set to hit free agency. Fuller and Amukamara will be unrestricted free agents, while Callahan will hit the market as a restricted free agent. I imagine that the Bears will have interest in bringing all three players back, but actually retaining them all seems to be relatively unlikely.
More from Chicago Bears
- Chicago Bears HC Matt Eberflus speaks on a number of team issues
- Roschon Johnson showing he can be Chicago Bears RB1
- Lingering free agent could be an absolute godsend for Chicago Bears
- Chicago Bears: Should Tyson Bagent be the backup quarterback?
- Chicago Bears: 3 replacements if Justin Fields isn’t the answer
If they lose even one of their upcoming free agent cornerbacks, I expect them to be targeting the position in both free agency and the draft. The Bears could be looking at the top-tier free agents like Trumaine Johnson and Malcolm Butler, but when it comes to under-the-radar options, Bene Benwikere stood out as an interesting choice.
Benwikere is a big and long cornerback who shows some nice upside on the outside. He has natural man-to-man coverage ability and plays press coverage at the line of scrimmage extremely well.
Benwikere was a fifth-round selection by the Carolina Panthers in the 2014 NFL Draft and became an immediate contributor. He was a full-time starter for the Panthers as a rookie, playing at an extremely high level both out of the slot and on the outside. He appeared to have an extremely bright future ahead of him, but injuries have constantly slowed him down over the years.
The former rookie sensation was cut by the Panthers during the 2016 season. His play constantly slipped during 2015 and 2016 and the Panthers finally had enough. He kicked around the league a bit before landing with the Dallas Cowboys before the 2017 season.
Benwikere became a solid contributor for the Cowboys last season, playing a depth cornerback role and a major role on special teams.
While Benwikere has fallen far from where he was as a rookie, he still shows a solid overall skill set. Plus, it wasn’t that long ago when we saw him playing at an extremely high level. I am not saying that Benwikere would be a viable replacement for Fuller or Amukamara, but he would be an interesting player to bring into the fold.
At only 26 years old, Benwikere still has a lot of long-term upside. The Bears would be wise to consider him as a depth cornerback who could work his way into a major defensive role. If nothing else, his skill set would fit well in Vic Fangio’s defensive scheme.