The
Chicago Bears made a flurry of signing over the past few days to continue bolstering their roster depth. Most fans were understandably focused on the two offensive additions, wide receiver David Moore and tackle Julie'n Davenport. People want to know if they can help
Justin Fields at all. That made it easy to overlook the
arrival of Greg Stroman. A productive cornerback at Virginia Tech, he was drafted in the 7th round by the Washington Commanders in 2018.
After a solid rookie season where he played 15 games and started three, he's only appeared in five games since then due to multiple season-ending injuries. He served briefly on the practice squads of the Rams and Bills last season but failed to crack their main rosters. Now he's hoping for a genuine opportunity in Chicago. Not a bad decision considering the Bears' questionable depth. When evaluating the player himself, it isn't a surprise the team liked him.
In many ways, he plays the game exactly as Matt Eberflus wants.
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https://twitter.com/treadmillhorse/status/929438526445379584
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The Bears head coach demands his cornerbacks attack the football wherever it goes, in the air or on the ground. Stroman checked those boxes coming out of college. He had three interceptions over his final two seasons for the Hokies and got a hand on the ball 37% of the time it was thrown in his direction. He looks smooth and fluid in coverage, showing good instincts and toughness against every receiver he lines up against. Ability wasn't the main concern with him.
It was size. Being 5'11 is already iffy for cornerbacks, but the fact he also weighed 182 lbs made NFL wary. They were concerned his body might not hold up to the rigors of the pro game. The injuries in 2019 and 2020 validated their thinking. Greg Stroman is out to prove those incidents were less a trend and more bad luck.
The Bears giving him a shot was an easy call. He has enough ability to make it worth a flier. If he can stay healthy, they may have themselves as quality #4 or #5 options at the very least.
