The Bengals Exposed a Problem With the Bears' Secondary Depth
The Chicago Bears' 27-9 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday exposed an issue that many fans feared. The Bears' defense lacks depth in its secondary.
Typically, this wouldn't be a huge cause for concern, but with all the injuries Chicago's secondary has already faced, it becomes an issue. Despite this game featuring the Bengals' third- and fourth-string veteran journeyman quarterbacks, the struggles are still a bit concerning.
The Bears' Secondary Depth Failed to Step Up
Everyone knows how banged up the Bears' secondary is. Chicago has already lost Coby Bryant for the season, and Kyler Gordon hasn't practiced at all this offseason. Add in an injury to Tyrique Stevenson, and the secondary is truly depleted.
This is why Saturday's game against the Bengals was a big opportunity for one of the cornerbacks to step up. However, the cornerbacks didn't provide much good tape for the coaching staff to evaluate.
Josh Johnson and Sean Clifford went 25/38 for 292 yards and scored three touchdowns while throwing only one interception.
One player who had a lot to gain from the game was second-year cornerback Dontae Manning.
Dontae Manning Has a Chance to Earn More Trust
Due to Stevenson's injury, Dontae Manning was given a chance to start opposite Jaylon Johnson. Although the Bengals didn't play their starters, this was still a big test for Manning. The 24-year-old had an up-and-down day.
He started the day making some good plays in the first quarter. However, things quickly turned for the young corner. Manning got beat for two touchdowns of 15-plus yards.
While he also mixed in a nice pass breakup in the end zone, his overall performance was not great. According to PFF, he allowed six catches on 11 targets for 99 yards and two touchdowns. For a team searching for answers if Stevenson is unavailable at all this season, Manning's performance Saturday doesn't instill much confidence.
What The Bears' Starting Lineup May Look Like in Week 1
If Stevenson isn't healthy enough to start Week 1, the Bears' starting secondary could look like this. Jaylon Johnson and Malik Muhammad outside cornerbacks, Cam Lewis in the slot, and Dillon Thieneman and Xavier Woods at safety.
While Muhammad has been playing mostly slot cornerback this preseason, he played the outside at Texas. His versatility is why Chicago drafted him. The Bears signed Lewis to replace Gordon in the slot, and then moved him to safety when Bryant went down. So he would just be returning to the role Chicago originally signed him for.
If the Bears want Muhammad in the slot, their only other option is to sign a free agent. While there aren't great options available currently, sometimes there are surprises on cutdown day. Chicago could potentially capitalize on one of those surprise cuts and add a cornerback that could help them right away.
This would give the Bears a starting group with some experience, but the bigger concern would be who comes onto the field after them. Chicago can't assume its starting five will stay healthy for 17 games.
That's why the remaining preseason games are important. Chicago needs to figure out which of its young defensive backs can be trusted before the regular season begins. If the Bears can't find reliable depth internally, they may have to look outside the organization for help.
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