Secondary play has been a primary concern in recent years for the Chicago Bears. And while there was hope that cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. could help provide some solutions, injuries this summer kept him from starting the year on the 53-player roster to start the season. Even still … there was hope Graham would make his way from the practice squad onto the Bears roster.
Instead, it is the Cleveland Browns rolling the dice on Graham as part of a wave of roster moves:
Graham, 23, was a sixth-round pick (226th overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft. He played four games (1 start) as a rookie in 2021, collecting 4 pass breakups, 6 solo tackles, and a tackle-for-loss in his brief bit of time. For what it’s worth, Graham showed up in a big way in his starting debut (and on Monday Night Football, no less). A strong finish to the 2021 campaign had Graham set to compete for a starting job in 2022. He was even jockeying for position to be the Bears’ top slot cornerback option coming into the season before injuries kept him from landing in that spot.
Losing Graham is a bummer, if only because we like seeing homegrown talent climb the depth chart, make waves, and stick on the roster. But it just wasn’t meant to be for Graham and the Bears. Best of luck to him moving forward. Here’s hoping the Bears do well in filling his spot on the practice squad. And let’s hope they won’t need cornerback help any time soon.