Chicago Bears: Defensive back targets in 2019 NFL free agency

Ronald Darby, Cornerback – 25 years old

Ronald Darby is a very good player when he’s on the field. The problem, however, is that he’s had a hard time staying on the field. He recorded 137 tackles, 33 passes defended and two interceptions in his two seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He then went to the Philadelphia Eagles and the injury bug hit him.

After playing in 29 games in his first two seasons, Darby played in just 17 games in his two seasons with the Eagles.

In 2018, Darby broke his leg in Week 1. He healed and came back and was a key part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. In eight games, he had 34 tackles, nine passes defended and three interceptions. In the playoffs, he recorded 16 tackles and six passes defended in three games. If you just look at his playoff games, he’d probably be the highest paid corner in the NFL.

As I mentioned, keeping Darby on the field is what’s been a problem. In addition to the broken leg, Darby suffered a torn ACL in Week 10 of the 2018 season.

As a result of his injury history, Darby probably needs to sign a one year “prove it” contract. Teams need to see that he’s over the injury and is back to playing good football. One way of doing that is moving him to the slot. He wouldn’t take the punishment of covering the best and the fastest wide receivers on a regular basis. He could handle slot receivers. Again, Toliver can help in the rotation.

Yes, signing Darby would be a gamble. However, if he can come in and stay healthy he could be a great asset for the Chicago Bears.