Bears Looking to Add Clark Phillips III in the Mix at Nickel Corner
Although Clark Phillips III is one of the newest members of the Chicago Bears' defense, he has an opportunity to compete for a starting job if he can quickly learn Dennis Allen's defense.
Video Transcript
What's going on everybody?
Nicholas Morgiano here from Roundtable Sports.
Clark Phillips III, he's the newest member of the Chicago Bears secondary.
Came over in the trade after the Bears sent Gervon Dexter Sr., the defensive tackle, to Atlanta.
In return, got Clark Phillips III, the defensive back, and also a fifth-round draft pick.
Now, for Clark Phillips III, he's played primarily on the outside in his career, but defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said this.
He says, "He can be fitting into that nickel mix a little bit, and we'll see how quickly he picks up everything up and then kind of go from there."
And for the Chicago Bears right now, that nickel corner spot, they know for certain they will not have Kyler Gordon for the first four games.
Just will not.
He's on the reserve/pup list.
He will not be there.
And it could be honestly longer than four games, given the situation that Kyler Gordon's in with the team and the injury and just where everything stands there.
Now, for Clark Phillips III, he does have an opportunity there, because the person playing primarily at that spot who's been there for a majority of the summer is Malik Muhammad, a rookie fourth-round draft pick, someone who's played primarily on the outside, but has had to readjust his game playing on the inside at that nickel spot.
Now, this can also change, because Kam Lewis, the de- veteran defensive back, he's been playing safety.
The Bears are still trying to figure out that situation.
Is it gonna be Lewis?
Is it gonna be Xavier Woods?
Maybe Lewis goes back to nickel corner if they see Xavier Woods being a better fit at safety, and then maybe you don't see a guy like Malik Muhammad.
But nevertheless, Clark Phillips III, I think, has a prime opportunity here if he can learn this defense to put himself at least in the mix to get potentially a starting job here.
Maybe it's not week one, because he is learning a new defense.
He's learning how to develop chemistry with all these new players that he's with.
But there is an opportunity there.
It also will help that he knows Jaylon Johnson.
They both went to Utah, Phillips and Johnson.
They never overlapped when Johnson was getting ready to get drafted in the NFL in 2020.
Phillips was just entering Utah.
But they have stayed in touch.
They've talked about their games, and, you know, Phillips has been able to lean on him and ask him questions, yearly checkups here and there.
But now he can do that on a more regular basis with Phillips now being teammates with Johnson here in Chicago.
However this shakes out, it's, it's an opportunity for Phillips, who hasn't quite lived up to expectations in Atlanta, but has a brand-new opportunity here in Chicago, and there may be an opportunity at that nickel corner spot for him to, again, get on this starting defense and make an impact for the Chicago Bears team.
