Arkush: Cornerback is the Bears' biggest question mark on defense
As we discussed recently in this space, leading up to the draft almost every insider and analyst that did a mock had the Bears taking a cornerback, wide receiver or tackle. If not in the first round, certainly in the first two days.
That assumed none of the quarterbacks would slip. The Bears got lucky. Justin Fields and Mac Jones did slide, and the rest is history.
The early reviews of the Bears' draft have been somewhere between very good and outstanding, and today's topic is not mock drafts.
Most folks seemed to feel the Bears had serious needs at wide receiver and cornerback. We know now after the Bears drafted one of each in the sixth round, that general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy apparently don't agree.
Remember, 90% or so of the receiver angst centered around the potential loss of Allen Robinson, which isn't happening, and too many folks panicked over the losses of Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine without bothering to focus on who was left on the depth chart at cornerback.
I am not going to pretend the loss of an All-Pro cornerback in Fuller isn't huge.
But it is also part of everyday life in the NFL. And while the Bears obviously made the moves pretty much exclusively due to a salary cap crisis - Skrine's play did slip late last season - they obviously studied their own landscape before they did.
That is why when they tell us how excited they are to return Jaylon Johnson, Kindle Vildor, Duke Shelley, Tre Roberson and Michael Joseph, we should take them seriously. They also added Desmond Trufant in free agency and drafted Thomas Graham Jr.
Johnson showed more than enough last season as a rookie to be excited about.
Secondary coach Deshea Townsend likes Johnson's chances to succeed Fuller as the Bears' top corner.
"He's versatile, he's not a small guy and he can match up with different types of receivers," Townsend said. "He can go against a big receiver, smaller receivers. His movement as well, he's a willing tackler, and then just his knowledge of the game. He's sharp. He understands what offenses are trying to do and that's impressive."
The big question: Can Johnson stay on the field?
After multiple shoulder surgeries in college, he was unable to finish last season due to another injury.
The Bears say they aren't worried, but it shouldn't be lost on anyone that almost all the other corners I've listed here except Shelley, Graham and Vildor are the same size or a hair bigger than Johnson, so he is not the only option to take on the Fuller role of big, physical, shutdown corner.
Trufant has struggled to stay healthy, logging just one 16-game season in the last five and playing more than half the season just twice. He was a legitimate Pro Bowler in 2015, and brings experience to lead the other youngsters.
He isn't as physical as Fuller, but he's not shy and has decent ball skills.
Vildor is the guy to watch as his coaches keep showing serious affection for him, but Roberson and Joseph may be even more intriguing.
"You know, I think the big thing with both of those guys, the injuries last year hurt both," Townsend said of Roberson and Joseph. "I think you would have seen Mike probably a lot more if he hadn't had that injury from the type of camp he was having.
"But the thing you like about them is the type of character of kid they are. Their approach ... they are guys that are hungry. And you love that. And then their skillset. Both are long, above 6 feet. They have position flexibility which is always great."
It also can't hurt Townsend logged 191 games over 13 seasons at the position with distinction, and there isn't much he can't teach them.
There is no argument corner is the most unsettled position on the defense, and while it could eventually become a strength, it is a huge question mark at the moment.
• Twitter: @Hub_Arkush