The Bears lost one backup cornerback earlier this month when D.J. Moore signed with the Panthers as a free agent, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be losing a second one.
Vaughn McClure of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Bears are expected to re-sign Kelvin Hayden. Hayden played all 16 games for the Bears in 2012, starting twice and playing a role in sub packages the rest of the time. He had 37 tackles and one interception over the course of the year. Nothing is official on the deal “just yet,” but we haven’t heard of any other team pursuing Hayden thus far in free agency.
Hayden will likely return to the slot corner role with Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings as the starters on the outside. It was a strong group for the Bears in 2012 and should allow them to remain strong on defense again next season. Hayden joined the Bears as a free agent last offseason after one year in Atlanta following his six years as a member of the Colts.
The Bears have also re-signed cornerback Zack Bowman as a free agent and they added LeQuan Lewis, who spent time with the Buccaneers in 2012.
