Green Bay Packers: Ranking the NFC North secondaries

3. Chicago Bears

Cornerback was a primary position of need entering last April’s draft given the fact that the Bears produced a paltry total of eight interceptions in John Fox’s first year as head coach. Only four of those takeaways were registered by defensive backs and making matters worse was the fact that the Bear secondary allowed a 99.1 passer efficiency to opposing quarterbacks, which ranked seventh-worst league wide.

One major source of their problems on the back end is Kyle Fuller’s slower-than-expected development into a legitimate number-one cornerback. The former first-round pick is both tough and durable from a physical perspective along with possessing exceptional leaping ability, but his technique remains a work in progress.

Fuller struggled mightily under the direction of new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, as he continually would fail to jam receivers off the line of scrimmage and allowed them to gain steps on him. In addition, the six-foot corner exhibited serious issues in getting his head around with the ball in the air.

Fangio’s scheme requires his cornerbacks to play lots of man coverage. Going forward, Fuller will need to show greater consistency in anticipating his opponent’s movements by reading their hips and not losing the ball while in flight.

The 29-year-old Tracy Porter, on the other hand, proved to be better than advertised upon signing on for the veteran minimum last year. In his 13 starts, the well-traveled journeyman recorded a team-high 22 pass break-ups.

His confidence and experience help him understand offensive passing concepts. GM Ryan Pace rewarded Porter with a three-year contract in the offseason.

The five-foot-ten, 185-pound Bryce Callahan earned a vital role in nickel packages as the season progressed thanks to his balance, change-of-direction skills and efforts in run support. The 24-year-old impressed the coaching staff early on with his diligence and willingness to have more pushed on his plate.

Sherrick McManis, conversely, saw his usage on defense diminish and profiles as more of a special-teams ace than slot corner.

Fourth-round selection Deiondre Hall is an imposing specimen at six-foot-two with 34 3/8- arms and projects as a jack-of-all-trades defensive back that can line up at corner or safety. Hall’s length make him tough to block in run support, as evidenced by his 82 tackles and three forced fumbles in his senior year at Northern Iowa.

Hall has the long speed and strength to cover big receivers downfield, but he lacks the hip movement to stay tight with shifty underneath targets that can quickly get in and out of their breaks. Early comparisons to Charles “Peanut” Tillman have Bears fans brimming with optimism.

Jacoby Glenn graduated from the practice squad late in the year, but only saw three snaps total. His 40-time out of UCF (University of Central Florida) was less-than-scintillating, but he had lots of experience playing on an island as a collegian and got his hands on a lot of balls.

The emergence of Penn State alumnus Adrian Amos made veteran Antrel Rolle expendable at  free safety. The six-foot, 218-pound first-year pro was rarely caught out of position and had no reservations about throwing his body around against the run.

Amos started 16 games as a rookie and recorded 67 tackles, but failed to make many splash plays with only a sack and two passes defensed on his ledger. The former Nittany Lion is more of a downhill player at this point who is still learning to how to play back in coverage.

Quarterbacks completed 20 of 25 passes that were thrown in the direction of Amos; that will need to change.

One of the big questions Fox will need to address more than he’ll like this summer will center around who will start at strong safety alongside Amos.

One viable candidate that is flying under the radar is Harold Jones-Quartey, who the Bears lucked out on when they plucked him off waivers from the Cardinals during final preseason cuts.

After some initial growing pains, Jones-Quartey turned things around by using his physicality to disrupt passing plays. His take-no-prisoners style has endeared him to the coaching staff despite the fact that the  small-school athlete is still raw with only four NFL starts under his belt.

Also competing for the strong safety spot are rookies Deon Bush and DeAndre Carson-Houston. Bush is a fourth-round pick from the University of Miami and, much like former Hurricane Brandon Merriweather, is a heat-seeking missile that has mastered the art of getting his feet underneath him and striking his opponents with brutal force.

Bush has the look of a special-teams coverage contributor since his poor coverage instincts and limited change-of-direction skills will probably make him the kind of defensive liability that quarterbacks will feast on.

Carson-Houston is a converted cornerback that possesses the traits to eventually earn a starting role. The former William & Mary star has the fast-twitch explosiveness to handle shifty underneath receivers capable of instantly changing directions out of their breaks.

Recently-signed Omar Bolden is a Fox favorite from his Bronco days. The 27-year-old safety has corner-like coverage skills and may see some rotational duties on defense, but he’ll make the team for his special-teams coverage work. His experience as a return man provides added value.

The 29-year-old Chris Prosinski is nothing more than a coverage-teams kamikaze at this stage of the game.

While the talent in Chicago’s secondary is evident to any objective observer, this team’s youth may stall this group’s development. The Bears will need one, if not all of their rookies, to quickly get up to speed along with a more consistent year out of Fuller.

Next: No. 2