(670 The Score) As the Bears aim for their defense to return to its dominant form of two years ago after a step back in 2019, there are a couple key voids to fill.
The most notable is at cornerback.
Bears released veteran cornerback Prince Amukamara in February in a move that opened up $9 million in salary cap space. While Chicago has utilized that cap space in free agency, there's still an opening at cornerback.
The Bears took a flier on 2016 first-round pick Artie Burns after his disappointing tenure in Pittsburgh ended, adding him to a competition with Kevin Toliver and former Canadian Football League standout Tre Roberson. But cornerback is still a position the Bears could prioritize for the NFL Draft, which begins Thursday.
"When I look at corner, for me, it's really no different than pass rusher," Bears general manager Ryan Pace said. "You cannot have enough of those guys.
"It's something we're always looking at improving."
The Bears own a pair of second-round picks, at No. 43 and No. 50 overall. Alabama's Trevon Diggs, Clemson's A.J. Terrell, LSU's Kristian Fulton and Ohio State's Damon Arnette are among the cornerback prospects who could be available in that range.
Diggs is a prospect who's expected to go late in the first round or in the second round, so he represents the type of player in whom the Bears could find value should he drop. The brother of Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, he had three interceptions at Alabama in 2019.
"I'm confident in my ability," Diggs said at the NFL Combine in February.
The Bears added Burns, who turns 25 in May, because they saw untapped potential that wasn't realized in the four seasons he played for the Steelers. He has shown some flashes of potential, mostly during a rookie season in 2016 in which he had three interceptions. Roberson also has upside in the Bears' eyes.
The challenge for newcomers Burns and Roberson is that without a typical offseason program, they could find their acclimation process behind schedule. Toliver has played two seasons in Chicago, perhaps giving him an early edge to win the starting cornerback job opposite of Kyle Fuller.
Because in-person visits and many pro days were canceled in the pre-draft process amid the pandemic, "football IQ" will be an even greater priority for the Bears as they prepare to welcome in a rookie class that may not take the field until July, Pace said.
That could include take a proven college cornerback early on.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
