Bears Blitz

The Chicago Bears will head into training camp later this week in Bourbonnais, Ill., with a big question mark at the free safety spot—and now they might have one at the cornerback position as well.

Monday, the club announced that starting corner Charles Tillman would be sidelined anywhere from 4-10 weeks after undergoing a surgery on his lower back. The timing of this surgery probably couldn’t have been worse for Chicago—or a defense that I believe will have a comeback season—but that doesn’t hide the fact that their best player in the secondary could go through the entire camp without getting a single rep.

And that’s not good news for Bears fans.

Remember, training camp is just as important to veterans as it is to rookies because you play football in pads. And when you practice in pads, your body adjusts and starts to transition into football shape.

But for Tillman, the first rep he could see is when he’s lined up across from Greg Jennings and the Packers under the lights at Lambeau Field in Week 1, and I’m trying to figure out what impact this will have on a defense that will have to carry this team, Jay Cutler or not.

I mentioned the free safety spot above because as I started to look more closely at the Bears’ defense this offseason, that position seemed like the only one up for grabs—or the only question mark I had.

Craig Steltz looks to be the favorite, but I still see him as a special teams guy. The club signed Josh Bullocks from the Saints this offseason, but he’s more of a strong safety in my eyes. And then there’s Corey Graham, a converted corner, who might have had a chance to compete for the spot.

But as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun Times wrote, the injury to Tillman may derail that project, as the Bears are suddenly hurting for quality depth at corner. Does Graham move back to corner for camp, leaving the battle at free safety?

So where does this leave the Bears?

I’ve mentioned before that I love their linebackers and think they could be a top five unit in the league. Rod Marinelli is in the building now as a defensive line coach, and his impact on the pass rush and DT Tommie Harris will be noticeable this fall.

But this injury to Tillman has me thinking hard about the secondary.

I like Tillman’s game. He can set the edge against the run in the Bears’ Tampa 2 scheme, and he usually draws the toughest matchup when the Bears play Cover 1. He has shown us before that he can play hurt (two shoulder surgeries in the past four seasons), but will he be ready to play at an elite level this fall?

Back injuries are tricky, especially for defensive backs. They affects everything, from your plant and drive to your ability to turn your hips and run with a receiver, and I’m wondering when Tillman will be back in game shape.

Because that’s the real question here. Rest and rehab are in Tillman’s immediate future, but when will he be ready to run down the field with a Jennings or a Donald Driver, and when will he be ready to come in hard at a 45-degree angle at take on a fullback in the run game from the corner spot?

Those are the questions I have, and if he’s not ready, will Nathan Vasher—a corner the Bears paid a lot of coin—stay healthy himself and return to the form that got him the big contract in the first place? What about Zack Bowman, a second-year man from Nebraska who had only nine starts in college and was on the shelf after one game as a pro? Trumaine McBride? Lots of names, but no answers.

The Bears hosted corners Ken Lucas and Rod Hood this offseason, but both left without deals. Now the Bears might be wishing that wasn’t the case, because they have two spots to fill to get through camp.

Playing Tampa 2 is still about the pressure you can get from your front four, but it helps to have a secondary that can drive on the football and make plays.

For the Bears’ sake, let’s just hope that their front four is ready to go, because right now, their secondary is not.

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