Zack Bowman seemed resigned to his fate as he slumped at his locker Friday.
The Bears cornerback had ample opportunity to make an impression on the coaching staff last week after supplanting Tim Jennings in the starting lineup. Instead, Bowman struggled covering Packers’ receivers in a 35-21 loss.
Now, Bowman finds himself back in a reserve role for Sunday’s regular season finale against the Vikings in Minnesota as Jennings has reclaimed the starting spot. With an expiring contract, Bowman knows there’s a chance the Bears won’t bring him back next season.
This is the same player who led the team with six interceptions in 2009.
“If I’m here, I’m going to do everything in my power to help on defense and special teams,” said Bowman, a fifth-round pick in 2008. “If I go somewhere else, I have the same goals.”
The coaches are sure to take a long offseason look at their cornerbacks. Veteran Charles Tillman made his first Pro Bowl playing primarily at right cornerback, but coach Lovie Smith and his staff weren’t satisfied with the production from the left side.
“We didn’t play as well as we needed to,” Smith said. “Simple as that. We didn’t make some plays that we could have, that we should have.”
Jennings, 28, appeared to be adequate starting the first 14 games before he was benched after the loss to the Seahawks. A number of factors contributed to his demotion, including dropped interceptions and coverage issues on third down. He has been physical with 79 tackles but has just one interception.
“It has been kind of an up-and-down year for me,” he said. “I want to finish on a high note and let them know I have a lot of football left in me.”
Like Bowman, Jennings has an expiring contract. He expressed a willingness to play nickel back — the position he initially was signed to play — if the Bears want competition for D.J. Moore and Corey Graham.
“I don’t think this final game can decide whether I get an extension or not,” Jennings said. “Their minds should be made up by now. … Honestly, I don’t know what they’re thinking.
“I would be disappointed if they went in another direction because scheme-wise and everything, this kind of fits my needs. They know that also, but probably have guys out there who can do the same things.”
Since 2006, Tillman has paired with five regular starting cornerbacks: Nathan Vasher, Trumaine McBride, Graham, Bowman and Jennings.
Although Tillman has played both cornerback spots, he has settled on the right side and wasn’t too pleased about moving to the left last week to accommodate Bowman.
The Bears might invest a high draft pick in a cornerback I April,something they haven’t done since selecting Tillman in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft. (Devin Hester, a second-rounder in 2006, was listed as a cornerback but never became a regular on defense).
Signing a veteran free agent wouldn’t be a stretch. And Graham, a Pro Bowler on special teams, is itching for a chance to play corner.
“Once you get here, they’re all the same: High-draft pick, low-draft pick, free-agent, whatever,” Smith said. “You look at them all the same once they get on the field. We just have to have more production from the position, period.”
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