Wide Open Bears Cornerback Battle from Day 1
When the Bears lost both right cornerback Jaylon Johnson and nickel cornerback Buster Skrine to injuries last season within a week of each other, it led to trying times in the secondary.
Skrine was veteran in his second year playing in the defensive scheme and Johnson showed great promise as a rookie starter.
The Bears tossed Kindle Vildor and Duke Shelley into the pressure cooker that is NFL pass coverage without much training.
The end result was probably predictable.
The Bears are counting on both to improve greatly over last year with better preparation and more experience.
They won't be playing for a rung on the reserve ladder. Instead, it's for the starting spot where Skrine played. The Bears will paint the left cornerback position as an open battle, as well. However, the nickel is where the most heated starting battle on the team should be.
The competition at wide receiver is tough, as well. It's most severe for a roster spot, not a starting spot like defensive back is.
"I think where I'm at and where I think the staff is at is we're excited about developing some of these guys right now," Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai said. "We like the volume and the depth that we got there."
There are open battles and open battles. A veteran like Desmond Trufant is going to have a natural leg up on younger, less experienced competition unless it's a player with a high draft pedigree. Both Vildor (fifth round) and Shelley (sixth) were Day 3 picks so they forfeit this natural advantage.
One of the two could easily take the starting nickel spot and both will have the chance to do it, because unlike last year they are both starting out at square one in an open battle at camp.
There are open battles and open battles. A veteran like Trufant is going to have a natural leg up on younger, less experienced competition unless it's a player with a high draft pedigree. Both Vildor (fifth round) and Shelley (sixth) were Day 3 picks so they forfeit this natural advantage.
One of the two younger players could easily take the starting nickel spot and both will have the chance to do it, because unlike last year they are both starting out at square one in an open battle at camp.
There's an extra dimension to this battle. It could be a three-way fight because rookie Thomas Graham Jr. was highly thought of by independent scouting. He was even rated at third-round pick by Pro Football Focus, before going in the sixth round.
"And so when we get out to practice, I think a lot of that stuff is going to resolve itself as we compete out on the practice field," Desai said.
It's a flock of younger players vying for a spot where it would seem a veteran free agent signing would have an edge, but Desai sees this situation as a positive.
"It's a good problem to have because when it's an open competition I think you get the best out of all the players on your roster," Desai said.
Duke Shelley
In his third year now, Shelley has a natural athletic disadvantage competing against Vildor. Shelley is 5-foot-8 and ran a pro day time of 4.51 seconds in the 40. He had a 34-inch vertical leap. The 5-10 Vildor ran a 4.44-second 40 and his was validated by more objective timers at the combine instead of at a pro day. He also had a 39 1/2-inch vertical leap besides having the speed and reach edge.
In his second year, though, Shelley did get more plays in pass coverage than Vildor. He had 208 to Vildor's 135. He also had better numbers, posting a 118.1 passer rating against when targeted. Those were raw numbers from Sportradar via Pro Football Reference. Pro Football Focus had Shelley graded much higher last year than Vildor. He was at 57.9 overall in score, 59.1 in pass coverage. Those were actually better numbers than Scrine had as starter (52.3 rating, 46.2 in coverage).
Kindle Vildor
"I think Kindle showed that he belongs in this league last year in the reps that he took last year," Desai said. "So I think he's going to have a chance to compete at various positions."
Vildor is closer to natural outside cornerback size than Shelley is at 5-10 and 191. The 39 1/2-inch vertical leap says he can play the outside, even if all the coverage numbers from last year suggest he struggled. PFF gave him scores of 47.1 overall and 45.9 in coverage, which both are on the lower end.
Vildor allowed a 131.2 passer rating against when targeted, a number inflated because two of the completions he allowed were touchdown passes.
In his case, the raw athletic ability suggests he can handle the slot or even the outside cornerback, if he can work with coaches and improve technique.
Thomas Graham Jr.
He'll start at a disadvantage because he's a rookie, but he did run 4.48 in the 40 and is a hair bigger than Vildor at 5-10 1/2 and 192. What is encouraging about Graham and also about the other two is the Bears have a choice of players who proved they were play makers at the college level. All ranked high in their class with interception totals. Graham and Shelley had eight each for their careers and Vildor had nine. But Graham played only three seasons because he opted out last year while the other two had four-year careers. Graham captured scouts' hearts with his feisty attitude and an ability to cling to receivers in coverage regardless of their natural abilities. Getting in a receiver's grill is a very desirable talent for a slot cornerback considering the receivers on the inside can go in either direction.
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