Breaking Down Chicago Bears CB Tracy Porter’s Career Revival
Published by Matt Eurich on November 29, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
In a year filled with ups and downs on the field for the Chicago Bears, veteran Tracy Porter has been able to revitalize his career with his strong play at cornerback.
A second-round pick of the New Orleans Saints back in 2008, Porter started 39 games for the Saints over four seasons, and he returned an interception for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. He struggled with injuries during his time with New Orleans, but he signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos in 2012.
Porter appeared in six contests with four starts for the Broncos, but he missed 10 games that season after suffering from symptoms related to a seizure he had during the preseason. He bounced back in 2013 and started all 16 games for the Oakland Raiders after signing a one-year deal, and he finished that season with a career-high 67 tackles, 12 passes defended and two interceptions.
The veteran cornerback signed a two-year contract with the Washington Redskins in March 2014, but he appeared in just three games and was placed on injured reserve that November due to shoulder and hamstring injuries. Washington released Porter in late May 2015, and the Bears signed him to a one-year deal in early June.
One of the reasons why Porter signed in Chicago in the offseason was because of his connection to head coach John Fox from their time spent together in Denver, as well as his familiarity with general manager Ryan Pace.
“It’s a blessing first and foremost to continue my NFL career,” Porter said, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. “I just felt like it was the right situation, the right place for me. To have a familiarity with Coach Fox and to know Ryan Pace and a lot of those guys in the front office and a couple of coaches on the staff and to be familiar with the playbook, that had a lot to [do with it]. It was just the right fit.”
After the team signed Porter, Fox praised the former second-round pick.
“He’s smart, he knows how to cover and he’s got excellent ball skills,” Fox said, per Mayer.
Injuries kept Porter out of Chicago’s first two preseason games, but he played well in Chicago’s third preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals before he reinjured his hamstring. He did not play in the last preseason contest, but he made the team’s final 53-man roster.
Porter’s hamstring injury kept him on the sidelines in Chicago’s first two regular-season games before he made his debut in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks. According to Pro Football Focus, he played just five snaps on defense in his debut before becoming the starter at cornerback over Alan Ball in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders.
Since taking over as the starter, Porter has been targeted 55 times in the passing game and has allowed just 24 catches and three touchdowns. In the last three games, he was targeted 18 times and gave up just four catches with one touchdown.
The veteran defensive back has spent the majority of the season shadowing the opposition’s top wide receiver, and his plus-6.2 overall grade in the last three games is the third best among all cornerbacks. He has played physically both at the line of scrimmage and when the ball is in the air this season, and he played one of the best games of his career against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving night.
Porter’s interception of quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter helped the Bears capture their first victory at Lambeau Field since 2013, and Porter joined an elite group with the pick, according to the team’s official Twitter account:
The interception was Porter’s first of the season, and he admitted after the game he knew what route was coming from receiver Davante Adams.
“Either the previous play they threw it to the flat or the play before,” said Porter, per ChicagoFootball.com’s Arthur Arkush. “I knew they ran it once before. A little bit [of a feeling it was coming again].”
At the beginning of the play, Porter lined up seven yards off the line of scrimmage across from Adams to the right of the formation:
Strong safety Chris Prosinski cut down in front of Porter to cover the tight end, while Porter remained back in zone coverage:
Adams’ route was jarred a bit by Prosinski, and Porter made a good break on the ball after it left Rodgers’ hand:
“Just reading the route that [Adams] was trying to make,” Porter said after the game, per Arkush. “Aaron tried to make a quick throw and I just beat him to the spot.”
As impressive as Porter’s interception was, his biggest play of the game came late in the fourth quarter while the Packers were in the red zone. On 3rd-and-goal to go from the 8-yard line, the Packers lined up with three receivers and a running back to Rodgers’ left with James Jones opposite of Porter to his right:
Jones tried to run a slant route, but Prosinski cut off the route before Jones tried to work back to the outside in the end zone:
Rodgers tried to hit Jones near the sideline, but Porter was able to get his hand on the ball to break up the catch:
After his strong showing on Thanksgiving night, Porter received praise from Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei and ESPN.com’s Matt Bowen for his performance:
Porter has always possessed the skill set to be a lockdown cornerback in the NFL, but he has struggled with injuries throughout his career. He admitted his injuries have hampered his ability to prove himself on the field, but he said he has never lacked confidence.
“Like I said once I signed here, I know what I can do once I’m fully healthy, and the coaching staff, my teammates—they know what I can do as well,” said Porter, per Arkush. “Confidence was never a question.”
Porter has not backed down from some of the NFL’s most productive receivers this season, and his confidence shows on game days.
He gave up just three catches on eight targets for 23 yards against Oakland’s Amari Cooper, three catches on six targets for 53 yards against the Detroit Lions‘ Calvin Johnson and two catches on three targets for 27 yards against Minnesota Vikings rookie receiver Stefon Diggs earlier this year.
The former Indiana University standout has played well in both man and zone coverage this season, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been impressed with Porter’s progress this year.
“He’s done a good job for us,” Fangio said, per Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s played his position well both from a mental and physical standpoint. He’s done a good job of covering, and he’s brought a nice experience influence to the team.”
Porter is not considered to be one of the league’s elite cornerbacks, but he is quietly revitalizing a career that has been derailed by injuries.
The Bears entered the 2015 season with the hope that Kyle Fuller would emerge as the team’s top cornerback, and while the second-year man out of Virginia Tech has shown a lot of improvement in recent weeks, Porter has solidified himself as the team’s No. 1 cornerback.
No task has been too tough for Porter this season, and his confidence has been growing on a weekly basis. Chicago’s defense is allowing just 214.5 passing yards per game in 2015 after giving up an average of 264.4 passing yards per game last season, and the team’s improvement against the pass can be attributed to the play of both Porter and Fuller on the outside.
When signed earlier this summer, Porter was viewed as someone who could compete for the open nickelback job because of his size (5’11”, 190 lbs), but he has proven this season that he can be a lockdown cornerback on the outside.
Injuries have kept the veteran defensive back from living up to his potential in recent years, but Porter is starting to thrive in Fangio‘s defense because of his understanding of the game and willingness to play aggressively both at the line of scrimmage and once the ball is in the air.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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