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Bears' Interest in Another DB Can Suggest Veteran's Role Change

Another college defensive back is slated for a 30 visit with the Bears, and all the interest they're showing in this position has Dennis Allen's scheme in mind.
Gene Chamberlain|
Miami defensive back Keionte Scott works to bring down Indiana Hoosiers tight end Riley Nowakowski in the national title game.
Miami defensive back Keionte Scott works to bring down Indiana Hoosiers tight end Riley Nowakowski in the national title game. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Reading what the Bears want to do with defensive personnel is a little like looking at all of their disguises in pass coverage during games.

What looks like one coverage might be something else on a particular play. What looks obvious for this coming draft might be something else.

The Bears need safety help and needed it before free agency. Yet, besides signing safety Coby Bryant, they seemed to shy away from adding another veteran safety. They did sign Cam Lewis, but he has been more of a slot cornerback in dime and nickel coverages throughout his Buffalo career than anything else, per Pro Football Focus play counts. At 183 pounds, he's also not really a classic safety size but he has played very little outside cornerback

Then came the run up to this draft and you really have to wonder what they're up to, and whether it all points to veteran slot cornerback Kyler Gordon.

The Bears met with Arizona's Treydan Stukes at the combine, according to ONSI's Justin Melo, and he was a slot cornerback for 1,122 plays in college. He is projected as a second- or third-round pick and ran the 40 in 4.33 seconds, the eighth-fastest time at this year' combine for all players.

They will host Miami defensive back Keionte Scott for a 30 visit this week, according to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports. This comes after Scott visits with Washington. He just had a visit with the Texans. Scott is projected by NFL Mock Draft Data Base as a late second-round pick.

Scott played at Auburn his first three years but made two interceptions last season for Miami and returned both for touchdowns. He's 5-foot-11, 193 pounds. Just like Stukes, he played most of his snaps in college at slot cornerback. And just like Stukes, many analysts project him as a safety in the NFL.

With all of this interest in slot cornerbacks, the Bears appear to be preparing to turn a college slot cornerback into a safety should they not be able to get a hold of one of the better safeties in the draft.

If they focus on defensive line early, as they really need to do, they'll likely miss out on the top three safeties.

Getting faster is the announced goal of the defense by GM Ryan Poles and also coach Ben Johnson. The two slot cornerbacks who might be safeties would fit this need..

Turning starting safety over to a college slot cornerback doesn't seem the wisest of decisions, though. The fact they have Bryant to pair with whoever their new safety is can be a benefit, but eventually that deeper safety could be an inexperienced former slot cornerback.

That is, unless they are planning something else. All of this wouldn't make a lot of sense unless you go back to last offseason after Gordon signed his contract extension.

"Some of the things that I see him do and the way that he fits in the run game tells me that he could be a fit with safety also," Allen said of Gordon. "We've had guys that have had the flexibility to play a lot of different positions."

That seems to be the entire theme to the type of defensive backs Allen wants in his scheme. More versatility means an ability to flip players when someone is injured. It also is a way to confuse opponents with coverage disguises.

And it could all mean a switch for Gordon to safety. A defense with Gordon at safety alongside Bryant would make more sense than one with a rookie like Scott or Stukes.

Playing a young DB at slot cornerback where they most often played in college would make more sense. It would also explain why they sought out Lewis and signed him, because he was more of a slot than a safety or outside cornerback. They could have him playing slot until the rookie is ready.

The entire mix lends itself to intrigue and will build up mystery for their intent come draft time.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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