Chris Conte is the best free safety the Bears have drafted in the past decade. Please, take a moment to reconcile any feelings of rage, confusion, or maybe even sadness you’re grappling with right now. Did you wipe the tears from your keyboard or screen? Perfect. Let’s move on.
That cold hard truth stings. Since 2005, the Bears have selected a safety every year except 2013, and all of them have been tried at free safety. Save for Chris Harris, Danieal Manning and yes, Conte, the franchise has whiffed year after year in their attempts to solve a position of growing importance around the league.