Xavier McKinney, New York Giants
Xavier McKinney is another safety who offers the Chicago Bears’ defense some flexibility. He can play both free and strong safety positions. That allows defensive coordinator Eric Washington to switch things up and use different sets.
McKinney was the New York Giants’ second-round pick in 2020. Pro Football Focus ranked him in the top ten in pass coverage both as a free safety (81.4) and strong safety (79.4). He can interchange positions and not miss a beat. In the past three seasons, he’s only allowed seven yards per target. In his four seasons, he has 9 interceptions and 27 passes defended.
The NFL, especially in the NFC North, has a lot of talented quarterbacks. The Chicago Bears must have a strong secondary. The team made a concerted effort, even before Poles arrived, to strengthen the secondary. The Bears selected seven cornerbacks in the past five drafts. Three of them were chosen in the second round (all of them current starters). They also had Jackson and Brisker. McKinney could fit right in and make it difficult for opposing quarterbacks to complete passes.
McKinney missed just 7.8 percent of his tackle attempts in his career. That number ranks 11th among safeties with at least 100 tackles in the past four seasons. Over the past several seasons, missing tackles has been a problem for the Chicago Bears defense. McKinney can come in and be a big help.
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