Chicago Bears 2022 Free Agency: Is There A Reunion At Cornerback??

While the Chicago Bears will have the offense as a priority this offseason, they cannot forget about the defense. They could shore up the cornerback unit by reuniting with Kyle Fuller.

So far this offseason, all we’ve been hearing about is how Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles will focus on the offense when the new league year begins. He’ll be especially focused on the offensive line and wide receivers. Many people feel he wants to protect the franchise quarterback, Justin Fields, and give him weapons to succeed.

While all that is true, there are other holes on this roster. Poles needs to also spend some time shoring up the defense. There are a few holes there, too.

An area of special concern is at cornerback. The Bears have Jaylon Johnson and he did a pretty good job last season. The problem was that there wasn’t much help besides him. They had Kindle Vildor, but they played him out of position. He is more of a slot cornerback, where he did a good job in his rookie season. At outside corner, however, he struggled mightily.

They did have Thomas Graham Jr who played well when he was in, but the coaching staff didn’t see fit to promote him from the practice squad until late in the season. Former head coach Matt Nagy then decided that he wanted to play veteran Artie Burns over the rookie.

The Bears need to shore up the other starting outside cornerback. The Bears failed to move Johnson over to play the opposition’s best receiver. As a result, opposing quarterbacks pretty much ignored throwing to his side of the field.

Surprise cut hurt the unit

A surprise cut in the offseason really hurt the unit. The Bears, looking for salary cap relief, wanted to restructure former All-Pro cornerback Kyle Fuller’s contract. He didn’t want to so the team decided to cut him.

That was a big mistake and the defense felt it.

The cornerbacks gave up a lot of big plays. Even when there weren’t big bombs completed against them, the cornerbacks couldn’t make key stops late in games. There were too many come-from-behind wins for the opposition.

The Bears now have Alan Williams as their defensive coordinator. Hopefully, he can figure out a way to move Johnson around the field. Former coordinator Sean Dasai was unable to do that.

Another way to help is to sign a veteran cornerback who can play alongside Johnson and force the opposing quarterbacks to try going Johnson’s way.

Could there be a reunion?

Who better to play alongside Johnson than the one player who already did? Fuller could return to Chicago and try to capture some of the old magic and play alongside his buddy. This time around, Johnson would be the CB1 while Fuller takes over CB2.

The breakup between the Bears and Fuller was bad for both parties. The Bears suffered from subpar replacements. Fuller, for his part, struggled with the Denver Broncos. He even lost his starting spot.

A reunion could help both of them. If Fuller could regain the mojo he had in his first go-around in Chicago the Bears then receive a solid cornerback duo. That then makes it tough for opposing quarterbacks.

With his struggles, Fuller doesn’t project to make big bucks this free agency cycle. The Bears could pick him up at a bargain rate and solidify the unit. Vildor and Graham Jr could battle for the slot cornerback spot. The Bears could be good with either one.

Signing Fuller wouldn’t prevent the Bears from still picking someone up in the draft. If the Bears trade and acquire more picks, they could go out and pick up a cornerback prospect. With a pretty settled unit, the prospect won’t have the pressure of having to come up big right off the bat. Then, when Fuller is ready to retire (he just turned 30 so the day is coming) whoever is the prospect is ready to step in.

I know it’s a long shot, but reuniting the Chicago Bears with Fuller could be a good thing for everyone involved.