Six potential landing spots for Charvarius Ward in free agency
By Matt Conner
Chicago Bears
We’re not exactly sure how Matt Eberflus is going to play things exactly in his new defense, but he’s been working in Indy where corner demands are for lengthy pass defenders (thanks Chris Ballard), and if there’s a team who should just grab talent at the position and figure out how to use it later, it’s Chicago.
The Bears have one respectable corner in Jaylon Johnson. Beyond that, it’s a total mess and the team knows it. That’s why Johnson was asked to play all over the place when defending the opposing team’s best receiver no matter the position. That’s been good for Johnson’s overall versatility and football IQ, but he’s not developed as deeply into a single role as he could and he’s handling too much.
The signing of a player like Ward would help stop the bleeding and provide another young anchor alongside Johnson to help turn around a secondary with a new defensive head coach. In fact, if the Bears were able to draft another bright young talent early enough, the Bears could quickly form a dynamic new core for years to come at the position.
The x-factor here is Ryan Poles, who has been installed as the new general manager for the Bears after spending several years working in the front offices of three different GMs in Kansas City. Poles knows very well how Ward plays and it will be telling if the Bears are connected here early in rumors during the tampering period for Ward.