Chicago Bears (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
And just like that, the Chicago Bears have a gaping hole in their secondary.
The Bears’ offseason has seen them part with two starters from a year ago. Former All Pro cornerback Kyle Fuller was officially released just days ago after starting nickel corner Buster Skrine was let go.
Now, the Bears are depending on a big second year leap from last year’s rookie Jaylon Johnson. To go along with the 2020 second-round pick, the Bears added former Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions cornerback Desmond Trufant to the mix.
Between Johnson and Trufant, the Bears now have their likely starting duo for the 2021 season. However, the issues still lie in Skrine’s open spot and the depth behind Chicago’s two starters on the outside.
One thing the Bears cannot overlook within their starting cornerbacks is in the health department. Last year, Johnson fell to the second round mostly because of an injury. Then, as a rookie, he found himself injured in the middle of the year.
On the same note, Trufant has been unable to stay healthy over the past two seasons, playing in just 15 of 32 regular season games.
Do the Chicago Bears have a real need at cornerback?
When looking at the 2021 NFL Draft outlook for the Bears, one has to believe that quarterback is still on the forefront with that first-round pick. At no. 20 overall, the Bears will probably have to move up a bit to secure one of the top five quarterbacks in this class. Hopefully they can do just that.
But, as they move into the second or third round, the Bears have plenty of other needs to address. Wide receiver and offensive tackle come to mind, but also, cornerback is now considered one of those needs.
Trufant is only on a 1-year deal, and again, we should not count on health at this point. Chicago should absolutely look at drafting a corner within the first three rounds, and on Day 2, these guys would be worthy of a pick.