How Brock Vereen Can Become a Playmaker in the Chicago Bears’ New Defense
Published by Matt Eurich on May 24, 2015
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have been searching for years to find a versatile playmaker in their secondary, and 2014 fourth-round pick Brock Vereen has a chance to develop into one in the team’s new 3-4 defense.
The Bears moved up in the draft last year to take Vereen with the 131st overall pick in the fourth round out of Minnesota, and then-general manager Phil Emery was excited about the former Golden Gopher’s potential, saying, according to Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com:
Brock is physical. He’s a tough guy. He’s a good athlete. He has good instincts for the game. What we really liked about him in terms of the person was the fact that he has been a captain, that he’s a true leader.
His knowledge of the game because of the multiple positions he has played will only help carry over in terms of handling all the complexities of the offensive schemes that he’s going to face in the NFL.
During his time at Minnesota, Vereen made starts at cornerback, free safety and strong safety and also spent time playing out of the slot at nickelback in certain sub-packages.
He began the 2014 offseason as Chicago’s No. 1 free safety because Chris Conte was recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, and then-head coach Marc Trestman liked what he saw from Vereen with the first-team defense, according to Mayer:
Brock has not looked out of place. He’s certainly got room to grow. He’s got very high football intelligence. He seems to have found a way to be in the right place during the course of practice. He’s verbal, which is very important on the back end. He’s a good communicator.
He’s working hard. He’s got guys showing him how to work. He’s got the instinctive ability to know what it takes to work. His progression, we feel good about that. He’s ascending and he’s competing to play to start. That’s where he is. He’s in a competitive position to win a job.
Vereen showed promise during training camp, but Conte returned to the team before the start of the regular season and reclaimed his role as the starter in Week 1.
Vereen shuffled in and out of the lineup throughout the season and often replaced Ryan Mundy at strong safety in obvious passing situations. He played in all 16 games and registered 39 tackles, one forced fumble and one interception. He made one start early in the season for an ailing Conte and eventually started the final three games of the year.
He struggled at times last season, but he has upside and should take a big step forward in new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s system. During Fangio’s time in San Francisco he favored versatile safeties with the ability to play against both the run and the pass, and Vereen fits that mold.
So how can Vereen develop into a playmaker in Chicago’s new defense?
Use Him in a Hybrid Safety/Nickelback Role
With Fangio at the helm of San Francisco’s defense last season, the 49ers drafted Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward with the 30th overall pick, and Fangio opted to use the young safety at nickelback in the team’s sub-package.
Ward played both cornerback and safety in college, and Vereen’s skill set is similar to the former Husky’s skill set.
“You could plug him in a lot of different ways and he can function really well. He gets it,” said Jay Sawvel, Vereen’s secondary coach at Minnesota, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer. “He understands it. Whether you want him to take zone pass drops or get up and cover somebody man to man, he’s just really good at a lot of things.”
In Fangio’s scheme, the nickelback is not locked into playing just man coverage or zone coverage, and Vereen’s experience playing in both a man and zone system lends well to the position.
He spent most of 2015 playing free safety, but in Week 2 against San Francisco, he was thrust into the nickelback role because of an injury to starting cornerback Charles Tillman.
According to Pro Football Focus, Vereen played 18 snaps out of the slot that night, and he held up well considering the circumstances.
In the fourth quarter with the Bears holding onto a 21-20 lead, the 49ers were charging down the field, and Vereen held his own against veteran receiver Anquan Boldin.
Off the snap, Vereen smoothly flipped his hips and forced Boldin to the outside.
When Boldin cut back to the middle of the field, Vereen once again was able to flip his hips and keep Boldin from getting open.
He was not used often at nickelback in 2014, but he showed in limited reps he has the ability to match up with slot receivers. He will need to work on his technique and get stronger in order to play physical at the line of scrimmage, but his versatility and instincts give him an edge out of the slot.
If the Bears decide they want to keep Vereen at safety, he could develop into a playmaker at the strong safety position.
Use Him at Strong Safety
While Vereen has all the tools to be a free safety in the NFL, but he may be at his best playing strong safety in Fangio’s system.
In most defensive schemes, the strong safety is more of a run-stopper, while the free safety is expected to defend the pass. But Fangio wants both of his safeties to have the ability to step up in the box and make a play against the run or be able to drop back as a single-high safety in coverage.
Last season the 49ers signed veteran safety Antoine Bethea, and CBSSports.com’s Pete Prisco suggested the signing meant the team would play two free safeties:
Eric Reid manned the free safety position, while Bethea moved from free safety to strong safety in Fangio’s system. Bethea still had responsibilities against the pass, but he often played in the box against the run.
In Week 2 against the Bears last season, Fangio had Bethea walk up near the line of scrimmage to help stop the run.
The Bears ran a stretch play to the strong side with running back Matt Forte, and Bethea filled the gap and took Forte down for a loss.
In addition to playing a more traditional role as a strong safety, Bethea was also asked to drop back in coverage as a single-high safety.
In the same Week 2 matchup against the Bears last season, the 49ers had Bethea lined up at strong safety and Reid at free safety. But when the ball was snapped, Reid stepped up to cover the middle of the field, and Bethea dropped back in coverage.
Quarterback Jay Cutler tried to hit Josh Bellamy down the field on a deep throw, but Bethea was able to make a play on the football and broke up the pass.
Vereen played well against the run at Minnesota and could thrive in Fangio’s system playing a role similar to the one Bethea played last year in San Francisco. The strong safety position would give Vereen the opportunity to play up in the box against the run, and it would also give him the ability to use his athleticism and instincts against the pass as a single-high safety.
Last offseason, Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton felt Vereen’s best position in the NFL would be at strong safety.
“At his best while playing as a traditional, in the box strong safety,” Wharton wrote in his scouting report. “He attacks the line of scrimmage with aggression and loves sticking his nose into contact.”
Vereen’s skill set lends well to both the nickelback and strong safety positions, and Bethea knows Fangio will put his players in the best position to succeed.
“Just having guys in the right places at the right time,” Bethea said about Fangio’s strengths, according to Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “On game day, he’s on point. Right time. Putting us in the right situation. Right calls. And just having guys in the right place where everybody can succeed.”
There is no guarantee Vereen is a starter at either nickelback or strong safety this season, but if he can improve on a daily basis in training camp and during the preseason, he has a chance to become a playmaker for the Bears at either position because of his versatility and toughness.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com 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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