The Chicago Bears are adding some much-needed help in the secondary.
As first reported by Pro Football Focus’ Ari Meirov, the Bears are inking former Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tavon Young to a one-year contract. Young, who remains well-respected in Baltimore, was released in a cap-saving move in March.
Third-year starter Jaylon Johnson is Chicago’s top corner, but behind him, the depth gets murky. Thomas Graham Jr. showed flashes in 2021 in limited opportunities, but after that, there’s a bunch of unproven players at the position: Duke Shelley, Kindle Vildor, Michael Joseph and BoPete Keyes. The Bears let veteran Artie Burns walk, and now, they’ll replace him with Young — a definite upgrade and a solid contributor when healthy.
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Young: Background & Stats
A fourth-round pick (104th overall) for the Ravens out of Temple in 2016, Young played in 43 games in his four seasons with the Owls, amassing 127 total tackles (eight for loss), 2.5 sacks, seven interceptions, a forced fumble and a defensive score.
The hard-hitting Young has played in 50 games in the four seasons he has been active with the Ravens, and he has tallied 127 total tackles (111 solo, 11 for loss), four interceptions, 16 passes defensed, six QB hits, 4.0 sacks and three fumble recoveries in that span.
In 2021, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound corner played 51% of the Ravens’ defensive snaps, and he earned a 62.6 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. He missed five tackles last season, while allowing opposing quarterbacks a 107.6 passer rating and surrendering 9.7 yards per catch. His experience and grittiness should be good things for Chicago’s secondary, and he was one of the most respected members of the Ravens’ locker room when he was there.
“Teammates and coaches called him a pit bull, a feisty slot corner from Temple who always played bigger than his 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame even if it meant sacrificing his body,” Ryan Mink wrote about Young on the team’s official website shortly after his release.
Check out a few highlights:
Tavon Young will be a sneaky good add by Ryan Poles if he stays healthy
Good read. Good pursuit by new #Bears DB Tavon Young.
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Young Has Concerning Injury History
The primary concern with Young is his injury history. Young, who turned 28 in March of 2022, suffered a torn ACL in 2017, missing the entire season. He recovered nicely in 2018, however, playing in 15 games and finishing with 37 tackles (five for loss), two QB hits, an interception, five passes defensed and two defensive touchdowns, which led the NFL that year.
His play in 2018 earned him a three-year, $25.8 million extension that had a maximum value of $29 million, which made him the NFL’s highest-paid nickel cornerback in 2019 according to NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Shortly after he signed his contract extension, though, the injury bug bit again and he was forced to miss his entire 2019 campaign after injuring his neck in a team practice. He tore his ACL again the following season, playing in just two games of the 2020 season.
He came back again, playing in all 17 games last season. If he can stay healthy in 2022, this could be a nice under the radar add for the Bears.
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