NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears continued its attempt to re-tool a shaky secondary with the signing of cornerback Marcus Cooper.
We're now hangin' with Mr. Cooper.
Welcome to Chicago, Marcus Cooper! ?⬇️ pic.twitter.com/isc8vHfOQr
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) March 11, 2017
Pro Football Focus ranked Cooper as the 101st ranked cornerback in 2016 with a 45.5 grade. Cooper posted a respectable 72.2 grade in run defense, but a 44.8 grade in coverage.
Cooper was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round (252nd overall), but was released after the final round of cuts. The Kansas City Chiefs quickly swooped in to claim him before the start of the 2013 season. As a rookie, Cooper made 42 tackles, intercepted three passes, defended 21 passes, forced a fumble, and recovered one and returned it for a touchdown. However, he never recaptured that rookie year success – intercepting four passes in his next 37 games, all of which came in 2016 with the Arizona Cardinals.
Excited and thankful to get another opportunity to show the world what I'm made of with the @ChicagoBears!
— Johnthan Banks (@JBanks_27) March 11, 2017
The Bears also re-signed cornerback Johnthan Banks, who tweeted his return earlier in the afternoon. Banks played 133 snaps for three different teams in 2016, wrapping up the year playing two games with the Bears. He started the year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – who drafted him in the second round (43rd overall) in the 2013 draft – before being traded to the Detroit Lions in November and eventually claimed on waivers by Chicago a month later.
After whiffing on the top tier of free agent cornerbacks, the Bears have reeled in a few depth pieces from the lower tiers of free agency. The team still could use the draft to add a difference maker with upside at the position.
