Every Chicago Bears position had its standout in training camp this year. David Montgomery at running back. Javon Wims at wide receiver. Khalil Mack (obviously) at edge rusher and Roquan Smith at inside linebackers. A more interesting question worth asking is which position group as a whole has performed the best? Longtime insider Hub Arkush gave an unexpected answer to that question during his recent Pro Football Weekly mailbag.
The question centered around concerns regarding the depth at cornerback and whether this might convince the Bears to run more 3-safety looks with Deon Bush showing signs of considerable progress. While Arkush agreed that Bush has done a terrific job in camp and may be the MVP of 2019, he disagreed about the assessment regarding cornerback. He believes quite the opposite. That corner could be one of the team’s biggest strengths.
“Chris, corner has been the most impressive position in camp, although arguably the best player in camp has been No. 3 safety Deon Bush.
Fuller and Amukamara are off their best seasons. Buster Skrine has looked very good in the slot, where Duke Shelley also looks like he was born to play , and boundary corners John Franklin III, Kevin Toliver II and Michael Joseph all look like they belong in the league.”
Chicago Bears position at corner is mostly about experience
It’s an interesting point. Thus far in the preseason, the Bears cornerbacks have been targeted 31 times. They’ve allowed 18 catches for 240 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. That may not sound too impressive until you realize a couple of key factors. For one, none of the Bears starters including Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara, and Buster Skrine were involved with that stat. The other is that of the five corners involved, only one (Kevin Toliver) has started an actual NFL game in his career.
That’s pretty impressive under the circumstances. Duke Shelley and Clifton Duck are rookies. Michael Joseph and John Franklin III are only in their second seasons. For them to allow a modest 58% completion rate despite playing against some pretty good wide receivers including Golden Tate and Cody Latimer is worth mentioning. It’s also a testament to the work done by new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, a man who is known for having a deep background in defensive backs.
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If he’s done this kind of work with backups, just imagine what he might have in store for the starters.
