Chicago Bears May Already Have Their Other Starting Safety

The lingering question for the Chicago Bears defense going into 2016 is simple.  Who will start next to Adrian Amos at safety?

It’s a fair thing to ponder now that veteran Antrel Rolle is gone, cut after just one injury-plagued season. Safety has long been a position the Bears haven’t been able to nail down. Amos was their first sign of promise in years but he can’t be expected to play at his best without help. That would explain by GM Ryan Pace used two of his nine picks in the 2016 NFL draft on safeties.  Expectations are that Deon Bush (4th round) and DeAndre Houston-Carson (6th round) will be the primary horses in that race.

Adam Jahns of the Chicago Suntimes isn’t ready to declare that the case when he was posed the question. In fact he feels the in-house leader for the job is somebody else entirely.

"“It’s Harold Jones-Quartey, an undrafted waiver-wire pickup last season who ended up startnig four games. Jones-Quartey finished last season strong, which included an interception, a forced fumble and three pass breakups in a Week 16 victory against the Buccaneers. Draft picks Deon Bush (fourth round) and DeAndre Houston-Carson (sixth round) will get their shots, but Jones-Quartey has impressed the Bears.”"

Indeed the young man out of Findlay showed some playmaking skill in his brief foray as a starter. Pro Football Focus gave him a 59.5 grade for the 2015 season, which is actually a lot better than people realize for an undrafted rookie. He earned his highest marks as a run defender and pass rusher. The struggles were primarily in coverage, though the interception and deflected passes would indicate he’s not worthless in that department.

So drafting two more players for the position doesn’t automatically mean the Chicago Bears coaches have lost their confidence in Jones-Quartey. With the anticipated exit of Rolle, the team was obligated to improve the depth and competition on defense, not to mention bolstering the special teams. That job is very much up for grabs and there is no reason to think he can’t lock it down.  He’ll just have to prove it in training camp and preseason like everybody else.