Tag: Buster Skrine

Bears injury report: Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks did not practice Friday

The Bears released their Friday injury report, and there are certainly some concerns on the defensive side of the ball heading into Week 7.

The Chicago Bears released their injury report for Friday ahead of Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, and there are certainly some concerns on the defensive side of the ball heading into Week 7.

Outside linebacker Khalil Mack did not practice on Friday with a back injury, while defensive tackle Akiem Hicks was sidelined for the second straight practice with an illness.

Bears coach Matt Nagy told reporters that Mack’s injury was nothing major, just soreness, and he’s being precautionary more than anything.  As for Hicks, Nagy said he’s sick and wasn’t able to practice, although it has nothing to do with COVID-19.

Cornerback Buster Skrine also did not practice for the second straight day with an ankle injury, and his status for Monday night is likely up in the air. Safety and special teams ace Sherrick McManis also missed his second straight practice with a hamstring injury.

Defensive tackle Bilal Nichols was limited with a sore knee and Safety Deon Bush was also limited for the second straight as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

Offensive lineman Rashaad Coward, defensive end Brent Urban, receiver Javon Wims, offensive lineman Jason Spriggs, safety Eddie Jackson and offensive lineman Alex Bars were all full participants on Friday.

 

 

Bears injury report: Rashaad Coward limited, Akiem Hicks DNP on Thursday

The Bears released their first injury report ahead of Monday night’s game against the Rams, and they still remain relatively healthy.

The Chicago Bears released their first injury report ahead of Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, and the Bears still remain relatively healthy heading into Week 7, although there were quite a few names listed.

The big names on the injury report that did not practice are cornerback Buster Skrine, who has an ankle injury, and defensive back Sherrick McManis, who re-aggravated his hamstring last Sunday against the Carolina Panthers

One of the surprises on the practice report was defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, who did not practice Thursday due to an illness.

Offensive lineman Rashaad Coward was limited on Thursday with a finger injury. Coward got the start at left guard for the Bears last Sunday against the Panthers, where he had a rough go of it.

Safety Deon Bush, who’s missed the last couple of games due to a hamstring injury, practiced for the first time in a few weeks, although he was limited. Safety DeAndre Houston-Carson has gotten more opportunities in Bush’s absence, where he’s come up with back-to-back game-winning plays against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Panthers.

Linebacker Danny Trevathan, tight end Jimmy Graham and receiver Ted Ginn Jr. all did not practice with a veteran resting day.

 

 

Bears injury report: Robert Quinn doubtful, Khalil Mack and David Montgomery questionable vs. Lions

The Chicago Bears have released their final injury report of the week, and it’s not good news for the Bears’ pass rush.

The Chicago Bears have released their final injury report of the week, and it’s not good news for the Bears’ pass rush.

Outside linebacker Robert Quinn did not practice for a third straight day, and he’s been listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. Meanwhile, outside linebacker Khalil Mack was limited for his third straight practice, and he’s been listed as questionable.

But there is some good news on offense. Running back David Montgomery was a full participant in Friday’s practice, and he’s officially questionable for Sunday’s game. But considering Montgomery suffered a groin injury just two weeks ago — and he’s practiced for the last two days — that’s a good sign that he could be good to go against Detroit.

Elsewhere, receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, offensive lineman Jason Spriggs, receiver Javon Wims, offensive lineman Germain Ifedi and cornerback Buster Skrine were all full participants in practice. They’re all listed as questionable.

There’s definitely cause for concern for the Bears defense, who will likely be down one, possibly two starting edge defenders come Sunday. Quinn won’t be playing Sunday, which means Barkevious Mingo, rookie Trevis Gipson and James Vaughters will get plenty of opportunities early to prove themselves. Mack, who was limited all week, will possibly tough it out against Detroit.

On the Lions injury front, star receiver Kenny Golladay has officially been listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.

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Bears’ cornerback situation dubbed one of biggest Achille’s heels of 2020

ESPN ranked Chicago’s cornerback situation among the biggest concerns in the NFL heading into the 2020 season.

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ESPN examined some of the biggest Achille’s heels teams are facing heading into the 2020 season, ranking them from teams most likely to least likely to overcome those weaknesses.

As for the Chicago Bears’ biggest weakness, it surprisingly wasn’t quarterback. But it does involve another contested battle in training camp at cornerback. ESPN ranked Chicago’s cornerback situation at No. 3, which makes it among their biggest concerns in the NFL. They projected Buster Skrine to land the starting job opposite two-time Pro Bowler Kyle Fuller.

Achilles’ heel: cornerback
Projected starter: Buster Skrine

In 2018, the Bears had the most fearsome secondary in football. In 2019? Not so much. Adrian Amos and Bryce Callahan left town, but even the stars of 2018 took a step backward. Eddie Jackson’s tackling was inconsistent, and the ball hawk intercepted only two passes after taking away six the prior year. Kyle Fuller went from seven picks to three, and his passer rating allowed jumped from 63.7 in 2018 to 102.0 in 2019. No cornerback last season allowed more than Fuller’s 942 yards.

I would expect Fuller to allow fewer yards in 2020, in part because teams won’t throw at him as frequently. The Bears cut Prince Amukamara this offseason and tried to replace him with former Steelers first-rounder Artie Burns, only for the corner to tear his ACL in August. The Bears used a second-round pick on Utah product Jaylon Johnson, but he has been limited after returning from shoulder surgery. The likely Week 1 starter is Skrine, who was the slot corner a year ago and might be stretched on the boundary. Little-used LSU product Kevin Toliver would be next up. The Bears will need Johnson to play like a veteran when he does get on the field to avoid a barrage of targets to the left side.

The Bears have had brutal luck at cornerback this offseason, losing two of their three contenders at starting cornerback to injury. Tre Roberson broke his foot in preparation for the season while Artie Burns, just one day after taking opening snaps with the first team defense, suffered a torn ACL.

That left second-round rookie Jaylon Johnson and Kevin Toliver to battle for the starting job. But Skrine, who has played nickel back for the Bears, is certainly in the mix on the outside. He’s seen a fair share of looks at right cornerback in the base 3-4 defense and rotates inside to the slot in nickel personnel with Toliver taking the right corner spot.

The hope is that Johnson will become the No. 2 guy opposite Fuller. But Johnson has been limited in training camp as he recovers from shoulder surgery. He’s not expected to see action early, but Johnson does have potential to make an impact in his rookie season.

While there isn’t much concern about Chicago’s defense heading into this season, it’s not without its concerns. And cornerback is no doubt the biggest.

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Bears 2020 training camp preview: Cornerbacks

Here is a breakdown of each cornerback as the Bears prepare for the start of training camp.

When the Chicago Bears cornerbacks take the field in just under a week, there will be some familiarity but also quite a bit of change. Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller returns as the team’s top option as he continues to establish himself as one of the best corners in the game, but he doesn’t know who his counterpart on the other side of the field will be.

Former starting cornerback Prince Amukamara was released in February and the Bears have brought in a bevy of players in free agency and the NFL Draft to compete for the starting position opposite of Fuller.

The position group will certainly be one to watch when camp officially begins. Here is a breakdown of each cornerback as the Bears get ready for the 2020 season.

Kyle Fuller

Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images

Kyle Fuller continues to rewrite his own history as the former 2014 first-round draft pick went from bust to beast. Fuller put together another fine season in 2019, intercepting three passes and posting a career high in tackles with 82. His production did slip from his outstanding 2018 season, but that was in part due to the Bears’ front seven not generating enough pass rush. Fuller is a player who plays off the ball, able to watch the quarterback and receiver to make last-minute plays on the ball.

Fuller is one of the longest-tenured Bears and will be expected to lead the position group on and off the field more than ever now that Amukamara, one of the team’s key leaders since 2017, has moved on. His first task? Mentoring the Bears hotshot second-round draft pick.

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Bears CB Buster Skrine might have suggestion for new Club Dub music

The Bears celebrate wins with Club Dub, and CB Buster Skrine being a classic rock fan might have some good suggestions for music.

When Matt Nagy arrived in Chicago, he initiated a new tradition in the Bears’ locker room following victories. When the Bears win, they open up Club Dub as their postgame celebration, which has typically featured a song Bears fans are familiar with in “Swag Surfin” by F.L.Y.

But cornerback Buster Skrine might have some different suggestions for what should be played in the locker room following the next Bears’ win.

Skrine is a classic rock kind of guy. During a Zoom meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Skrine was sporting a Rolling Stones shirt, which led to some musical discussion. Skrine said if he was in charge of the music inside the locker room, it would feature Jimi Hendrix, Queen, Bob Marley and maybe some AC/DC.

But don’t expect Skrine to take over DJ duties at Club Dub anytime soon.

“I listen to classic rock all the time,” Skrine said, via JJ Stankevitz. “You know, I never touch the auxiliary cord in the locker room because I feel like I would get judged off my playlist.”

The Bears didn’t get to open Club Dub as often as they would’ve liked last season, as they won just eight games. Chicago will be looking to reverse their misfortune in 2020, and hopefully Club Dub will be open enough that maybe Skrine will get a song request in.

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Buster Skrine played a role in Tashaun Gipson signing with Bears

It doesn’t hurt when you have your defensive players helping recruit talent that can make your already-dominant defense even better.

There’s something to be said about the culture that Matt Nagy has created in Chicago. For all of his faults last season on offense, Nagy has created the kind of culture that players want to be a part of.

It also doesn’t hurt when you have your defensive players helping recruit talent that can make your already-dominant defense even better.

Much like two-time Pro Bowl safety Eddie Jackson played a role in bringing safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to Chicago last year, cornerback Buster Skrine had a hand in getting new safety Tashaun Gipson to join the Bears.

“Having a guy like Buster here who’s able to tell me and be real about how things are operated and run here was major and it was a key point for me because that’s somebody I trusted,” Gipson said, via ChicagoBears.com. “He had nothing but great things to say about the city, about the organization, about the fans, and that made it a whole lot easier.”

Despite the Bears’ disappointing 2019 season, it says a lot about this franchise when players believe that Chicago is a place where you can come and play meaningful football. After all, the expectation is playoffs. Even after last year’s struggles. And Gipson certainly sounds like he believes the Bears are poised to make a run in 2020.

“I want to play meaningful games and win games,” Gipson said. “You only get such a small window to be able to play in this league and leave your mark. And being able to play in meaningful games, this is a team that’s got everything that you need to be able to truly make a run and I think that that was a major deciding factor for me.”

But as alluring as the potential to be a team that has the potential to make a playoff run, is a team that has the kind of culture that makes you proud to wear the uniform and be a part of a franchise. Which is exactly what Skrine pitched to Gipson.

“He talked about the coaching staff and how just cool and how just vibrant the atmosphere there is,” Gipson said. “Besides everything else, when you walk in the building the biggest thing that you want to do is make sure that you’re having fun. This is a kids’ game. We’ve been playing this game since we were kids. At the end of the day, that was the biggest thing for me is when he talked about the coaches and how much he had love for them.”

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One NFL analyst believes Bears are 2nd-worst team in NFL, seriously

Not many are confident in the Bears heading into 2020, but there’s a difference between being realistic and ignorant with expectations.

It’s safe to say not many are feeling confident in the Chicago Bears heading into the 2020 season. Which is fair, considering their disappointing outing in 2019, which resulted in a 8-8 record and third-place finish in the NFC North.

But there’s a difference between being realistic and being ignorant with expectations for a team that had one of the worst offenses but also one of the best defenses in the league.

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller shared his post-NFL Draft rankings, where he ranked the Bears as the second-worst team in the league.

Seriously.

Right off the bat, it’s a ludicrous statement to make. While the Bears had an abysmal season just one year removed from a 12-4 season, they had a top defense that was riddled with injuries last season — and they still finished in the top-five without Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith. And guess what, all of those players are coming back at full strength, along with Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson, Eddie Goldman and newcomer Robert Quinn.

Just in case you thought there was any miscommunication, Miller elaborated on why he believes the Bears are worse than every other team in the NFL except for the New York Giants.

While he’s right about the offensive line, the Bears upgraded at the quarterback position with the addition of Nick Foles, who has experience in a Matt Nagy-like offense. That in itself will prove to be valuable in this shortened offseason amid the coronavirus pandemic, should Foles win the job over Mitchell Trubisky. While Allen Robinson is clearly the best receiver on the Bears, don’t forget about third-year wide-out Anthony Miller, who showed that he’s capable of being a threat in the passing game.

Say what you want about the offense — unless it pertains Robinson at this point — but a healthy Bears defense is a top-three unit. As for the concerns about “half a good CB,” Kyle Fuller is one of the top 15 cornerbacks in the league, Buster Skrine was solid in his first year at nickel and Chicago got a first-round talent in Jaylon Johnson, who only slipped to the second round because of injury concerns.

Not only are the Bears a better team than the Detroit Lions — and arguably the Minnesota Vikings — but they’re not the second-worst team in the entire league.

But, as Miller said, we’ll see who’s right in January.

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Bears had pre-draft meeting with LA Tech CB Amik Robertson

The Bears have shown interest in Louisiana Tech CB Amik Robertson, an instinctive playmaker with a nose for the football.

Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears have several roster needs on offense and defense — and not a whole lot of draft capital to work with.

The Bears have just two picks in the first four rounds — both in the second round — so general manager Ryan Pace is going to need to make them count, especially with so many roster needs.

Cornerback is one of those needs, and Chicago has shown plenty of interest in cornerbacks in the pre-draft process. The Bears held a virtual pre-draft meeting with Louisiana Tech cornerback Amik Robertson, according to Draft Wire’s Justin Melo.

The Bears are looking for a starting right cornerback to fill the shoes of the departed Prince Amukamara opposite Pro Bowler Kyle Fuller. While the Bears have some players on their roster looking to compete for that starting cornerback job, they should certainly jump at the chance to draft a young cornerback.

Perhaps that guy is Robertson, who, despite his 5-foot-8 stature, possesses rare instincts and ball skills that make him an intriguing prospect to watch. Although, Robertson projects to be a nickel corner at the NFL level, a role already filled by Buster Skrine. But the Bears could find Skrine’s eventual replacement in Robertson.

Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say about Robertson in his evaluation:

Smallish, outside corner with tremendous intensity, swagger and toughness. Needs to handle the athletic challenges as a slot corner in the NFL. He gives rough rides to receivers trying to get away from his press before following it with route recognition and footwork to continue hounding his man. Physicality overtakes technique at times and he could struggle to mirror the release of savvy NFL slot receivers. The instincts and ball skills are rare and should translate to this level of competition in zone and man as long as he can shadow routes. Teams may worry about his size, but run support will not be a concern and Robertson could become a starting nickel as a Day 3 selection.

In 38 games for the Bulldogs — all starts — he tallied 23 tackles for loss, 48 passes defensed and 14 interceptions. He’s an instinctive playmaker with a nose for the football, and it’s no surprise that Chicago has shown interest.

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Ranking each Bears’ free agency class under Ryan Pace

Bears GM Ryan Pace has had major hits and huge misses in free agency. But how does each of his FA classes stack up against one another?

There’s no doubt that NFL free agency is one of the most exciting time of the year for football fans. It’s the first major opportunity for teams to find new talent, shuffle their roster, and make the necessary changes to contend for a playoff spot in the season to come.

However, while a free agency class can take a team to the next level, another can cripple them financially and pull them down to the bottom of the division. When it comes to the Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Pace, they’ve experienced both situations.

Pace, now in his sixth season leading the Bears, has had major hits and huge misses in free agency. But how does each of his free agent classes stack up against one another? Below is a ranking from Pace’s worst to best free agent groups between 2015 and 2019.

5) 2017 free agent class

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Key hits – CB Prince Amukamara

Key misses – QB Mike Glennon, S Quintin Demps, TE Dion Sims, WR Markus Wheaton

What a group, huh? When free agency officially opened, Pace inked Glennon, Demps and Sims to three-year deals right off the bat, possibly becoming one of the worst “big three” ever assembled in sports. Glennon, signed from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was given the opportunity to start but only lasted four games before rookie quarterback and first-round selection Mitchell Trubisky took the reins.

Demps, meanwhile, truly only had one memorable play as a Bear which took place in week one when Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper stiff-armed the veteran to the ground on his way to an 88-yard score. Demps went on injured reserve just two weeks later. Both only lasted one season in Chicago.

Sims at least made it through two seasons, but was lackluster at best. Other signings such as receiver Markus Wheaton, who caught three more passes than I did for the Bears and cornerback Marcus Cooper, who’s most memorable moment in Chicago was showboating after an interception, turning a pick-six into a pick-three.

The only true standout from the class was cornerback Prince Amukamara, who was a consolation prize for the Bears after other corners such as A.J. Bouye and Stephon Gillmore spurned them for other teams. Amukamara became a solid starter for an eventual playoff team and turned his tryout into a bigger contract. But overall, this class was a colossal failure for Pace.

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