Chicago Bears: 5 Takeaways from training camp so far
5. Buster Skrine is looking good
When the Chicago Bears signed Buster Skrine to replace Bryce Callahan as the nickel cornerback, people scratched their heads. He has some good athleticism but there was some bad tape on his reel. He’s had a lot of film of him getting beat and a lot of film of too many penalties committed.
The Bears front office apparently felt different. General manager Ryan Pace liked him the last time Skrine was a free agent. He and the coaches feel if Skrine was surrounded by elite players he’d turn his game up and play better. They felt he tried to do too much on the New York Jets porous defense.
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So far, the Bears might be correct. Skrine is performing well on this defense. Many people felt that rookie Shelley Duke would give him a run for his money, and, eventually, that might be the case. However, the way Skrine is playing Shelley’s opportunity to grab the starting job may have to wait a year or so.
During Monday’s (Aug. 5) practice, Skrine shined. He broke up three passes and impressed head coach Matt Nagy. After the day’s session, reporters asked Nagy if Skrine felt more comfortable in the defense, according to the team’s official website:
"“Without a doubt. You guys see him today? He made some plays. That’s what I saw last year, was him being able to make plays, and I’ve seen that over his career. He’s a savvy vet and I love him in there.”"
Skrine knows that a lot of people doubt him. He also knows this is his best chance to show his abilities. He has elite players all around him so he doesn’t have to do too much. He has dependable help so he only needs to worry about what’s in front of him. He’ll have a chip on his shoulder and wants to show that the Bears weren’t wrong in believing in him.
If he does, this defense will make a lot of offenses look very bad.