Most of the conversations around how the Chicago Bears will handle their COVID-19 opt outs are centered on Eddie Goldman. Rightfully so. He was such a big part of their defense. Filling that void will be a challenge. That said, the loss of Jordan Lucas is not catastrophic but did deliver a blow both to their safety depth and special teams unit.
Publicly the team expressed no real concern over it. They feel they have good pieces in place already to handle that with Sherrick McManis and DeAndre Houston-Carson. Even so, competition is something they've strived to build for this year. Lucas was supposed to be part of that. With him out it appears the Bears have begun hunting for a possible replacement.
Albert Breer of the MMQB revealed on Sunday that the team met with 25-year old Marqui Christian. He'd spent the previous four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams as a backup safety and primary special teams guy. Both roles he seemed to handle quite well. Bears fans might remember him for an outstanding play he made last year to prevent an Anthony Miller touchdown.
Clearly the team didn't forget that.
Christian can absolutely be what Jordan Lucas would've been
Christian would bring value to the Bears. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be right away. A few months ago the New York Jets tried to sign the safety but that deal fell through. Soon after he was slapped with a two-game suspension for undisclosed reasons. So signing him would have to wait until towards the end of September. This preliminary meeting was probably the Bears kicking the tires to see what kind of shape he's in and let him know they're interested.
This is something to file away for later. Christian could end up being a quality late add to the depth chart as the Bears prepare their latest attempt at returning to the playoffs. He wouldn't be a central name in the story, but there is no doubt he can make a contribution.
