Signing Ball gives Bears depth at cornerback
The Bears added some needed veteran depth at cornerback Friday with the free-agent addition of former Illini Alan Ball, who signed a one-year deal and is expected to back up starters Kyle Fuller and Tim Jennings.
Ball could also figure in the Bears' nickel package, playing one of the outside corner spots with Jennings moving inside to cover the slot receiver, as he has done in the past, including last season.
Coach John Fox considers Fuller, last year's first-round draft pick, one of the potential building blocks on the team's defense. But Jennings' play slipped last season after back-to-back Pro Bowl berths that included a combined 13 interceptions. Jennings did not have an interception last year for the first time since 2007, his second season in the league. The 31-year old Jennings' four-year, $22.4 million contract expires after the 2017 season.
Ball, a 6-foot-2, 197-pound Detroit native, is an eight-year veteran who turns 30 on Sunday. Ball started seven games for the Jacksonville Jaguars last year before suffering a season-ending biceps injury. He started 15 games for the Jaguars in 2013 and had 2 of his 6 career interceptions. He has made 22 of his 44 career starts in the last two seasons in Jacksonville.
Ball was courted earlier in free agency by the Carolina Panthers, who reportedly offered him a $2 million deal, including a $1 million signing bonus and an additional $500,000 in incentives.
But he chose the Bears.
"Being in Detroit growing up, watching the Bears my whole life, going to the University of Illinois, I'm honored to be here," Ball said in a report on the team's website.
The Bears are expected to add more competition at cornerback in free agency or through the draft.
Demontre Hurst, an undrafted rookie in 2013, showed potential in two starts as the Bears' nickel cornerback last year. But he and backup Al Louis-Jean, undrafted out of Boston College last year, are the only other experienced cornerbacks on the roster.
Ball was drafted in the seventh round by the Cowboys in 2007 and started 21 games in Dallas, including 19 at free safety, over five seasons. He played one season (2012) for the Houston Texans before signing with the Jaguars.