The Chicago Bears have done a pretty good job of revamping the secondary over the offseason, but there's one veteran cornerback still out there that can help.

A.J. Bouye was once considered to be one of the league's better corners, but injuries have limited him to just 17 games over the last two seasons. Said injuries have subsequently prevented him from keeping his name from being mentioned in the conversation.

But Bouye's still managed to play pretty well when healthy. In his seven healthy games last year, Bouye finished with a 68.5 overall coverage grade, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranked 34th out of 106 corners with at least 250 coverage snaps. He was the epitome of "keep everything in front of you", evidenced by opposing quarterbacks averaging just six air yards per target against Bouye. Bouye also allowed just 9.1 yards per reception. Both numbers ranked ninth among qualifying players.

And, Bouye's solid tackling was a big reason for the low numbers. His 4.3% miss rate was  12th-best, per PFF.

Bouye also allowed zero touchdowns last year. Even if he missed 10 games, that's still something to brag about.

But the key numbers with the 10-year corner is the fact that 51% of his overall coverage snaps came in zone coverage, where registered a solid 68.3 coverage grade. Also, Bouye was the Carolina Panthers' main slot corner in 2021. This was made clear by any 247 snaps out of the slot, but even more so when considering that PFF has 165 of those snaps as coverage snaps.

No other Panther even came close to matching Bouye's 165 coverage snaps out of the slot, despite him only playing seven games. His run defense was OK, at best, but he showed capable of playing run defense, which is important for a slot defender.

It appears the move to nickel worked for Bouye. Why wouldn't work for the Bears, too?

When it comes to the Bears, they have a promising nickelback in Thomas Graham Jr. that the coaching staff likes, but as we all know, this is the NFL. Competition is always a good thing to have and Bouye would provide depth, which is always needed, regardless of what team we are talking about.

Bouye is a good fit, schematically. The Bears are going to run a lot of zone, which is his strong suit. However, he can also play man coverage, when needed.

Additionally, Bouye's presence would provide insurance in case Graham Jr. doesn't pan out. Sure, Tavon Young is also in the mix, but he has an injury history, as well. Kyler Gordon also showed ability to play inside during the draft process, but it looks like the Bears want him on the perimeter, for now, which makes sense. Bouye keeps Gordon on the perimeter, regardless of what happens to the slot position. That will keep his development on track – a crucial process the organization has to keep intact.

And, if something happens to one of the Bears' outside corners, Bouye's vast experience on the outside could be taken advantage of.

Bouye was set to make around $2.9 million in 2022 before his release, so he'll be cheap. It's not like the Bears have cap issues, anyway.

It's a low-risk move that could provide major value as long as Bouye stays healthy. And since the Bears are centering 2022 around their defense, they may as well try to add as many plausible options, as possible.

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