7 cornerbacks the Bears could target in free agency

The Chicago Bears have three obvious need positions they’ll need to address in free agency, cornerback, wide receiver, and offensive line, but if we’re being real, this roster could use some help all over the place. The Khalil Mack trade opens up a little more money to play with, but general manager Ryan Poles is more likely to be frugal next week then he is to make a splash.

In this 4-part roundtable series I asked the WCG staffers to give me a player they’d like to see the Bears sign in free agency, and here’s how we’ kicked things off.

Who is the cornerback you want the Bears to sign in free agency?

Ken Mitchell - A guy like Darious Williams from the Rams would slot nicely into the zone scheme that the Bears plan to run. He’s really good as long as he’s in some type of zone, and he wouldn’t break the bank.

Sam Householder - Steven Nelson was drafted by the Chiefs and spent last season with the Eagles under Jonathan Gannon, who previously worked under Matt Eberflus. So he is familiar with pretty much everyone in the Bears’ new brass from Poles to Ian Cunningham to Eberflus.

Robert Zeglinski - Other than him already having the Eberflus connection, I would love to see Xavier Rhodes in a veteran role. The Bears don’t need the future on the boundary next to Jaylon Johnson. They need a capable fill-in for a year or two. That can be Rhodes.

Rahul Ramachandran - Obviously, Jaylon Johnson is the #1 corner. I loved Thomas Graham Jr. before the draft, and I loved a lot of what I saw from him in year 1. I’d expect him to make big improvements under Coach Eberflus in year 2. That leaves the nickelback as the position of utmost importance in my eyes, and forgive me for my nostalgia, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Bryce Callahan back in a Bears uniform. He dealt with some injury issues last year (which lowers his market value), but when fully healthy, he’s still an excellent nickel corner.

Bill Zimmerman - I want Ryan Poles to spend more of his money on offense, and I think the Bears will look to bargain hunt mostly on defense to fill out the holes, but the one position that’s gaping to me is CB2. I think Thomas Graham has potential but I like him more in the nickel spot. I wouldn’t be opposed to signing someone like Donte Jackson for an AAV around $8 million or so.

Aaron Leming - At this point, I’d rather see the Bears spend the majority of their limited resources on the offensive side of the ball. That’s why I think someone like Mike Hughes could make sense. Could likely get him on a cheaper one-year deal and he’s still just 25 years old.

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. - Former Bear Kyle Fuller is coming off a down season in Denver, but he has the physicality and football smarts to transition to the Bears new zone based scheme. He just turned 30-years old, and a one or two year contract could buy the Bears some time to get to the 2023 season when their cap opens up tremendously.

Now it’s your turn, who is a corner you'd like to see the Bears sign?