Getty Thomas Graham Jr. #27 of the Chicago Bears fights off Tariq Thompson #41 of the Buffalo Bills during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 21, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bills defeated the Bears 41-15.
The Chicago Bears are rewarding rookie cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. for a job well done after he stepped in as one of their starting cornerbacks in Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.
On December 21, Bears general manager Ryan Pace officially signed Graham to a 53-man roster contract after the 22-year-old cornerback spent the first three months of his rookie season on the team’s practice squad. The Bears selected him in the sixth round (No. 228 overall) of the 2021 NFL draft after three standout years at Oregon.
The Bears also cut loose outside linebacker Ledarius Mack, brother of All-Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack, just three days after signing him to the active roster. He assisted on one tackle and was called for an offsides penalty in his limited reps against the Vikings.
Additionally, the Bears made some modifications to their reserve/COVID-19 list after playing against the Vikings with 14 players stuck on the list. Defensive backs Artie Burns and Duke Shelley were both activated from the COVID-19 reserve on Tuesday, but defensive lineman Bilal Nichols was added to the list, keeping it at 13 total players.
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Graham Shined in Long-Awaited NFL Debut
According to Pro Football Focus, Graham played 52 snaps in coverage (two in the slot) against the Vikings on Monday night and allowed just two completions for 10 yards and zero first downs. He also tallied seven total tackles and broke up three passes, one of which was a deep-shot pass from Kirk Cousins to Justin Jefferson.
What makes Graham’s performance even more impressive is that he had not truly played in a full competitive football game — aside from the 2021 preseason — since helping Oregon beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2020. He recorded six tackles and an interception in the Ducks’ win, but he opted out of his senior season the following September and declared for the 2021 NFL draft during a time when the COVID-19 pandemic had put the Pac-12 football season in jeopardy.
Graham did play once more prior to the draft in the 2021 Senior Bowl, but his poor performance in one-on-one matchups only negatively impacted his draft stock and cast doubts about his ability to make it work as an NFL defensive back.
Will Graham Compete for Starting Role?
Graham put together a more complete game on Monday night than any other Bears cornerback not named Jaylon Johnson throughout the 2021 season, but will his strong debut be enough to persuade the Bears to keep him in a starting role now that some of their more experienced cornerbacks are returning from the COVID-19 list?
Prior to the Bears’ crippling COVID-19 outbreak this week, Burns had started three straight games at the outside spot opposite Johnson. Kindle Vildor also held the role in the first 10 games of the season, picking it back up alongside Graham against the Vikings. Assuming Johnson clears protocol before Week 16’s game, they could simply elect to put one of their more established names back in the starting lineup and push Graham back into a rotational role.
The problem is neither Burns nor Vildor — or even Shelley, for that matter — have impacted the game on the same level as Graham did in Week 15. He was also a more sure-fired tackler than most of the rest of the Bears secondary, albeit with a sampling size of just one game. Maybe there would be an argument to trust experience if the Bears were competing for a place in the postseason, but they are 4-10 and have already had their playoff hopes dashed. There’s no reason for them to not take a chance and size up what other weapons they might have for the future.