Bear Necessities: Competition at nickelback continues between Marqui Christian and Duke Shelley

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Following their Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Chicago Bears defense, especially in the secondary, which was abused by Matthew Stafford all night.

While there were plenty of defenders who struggled in the loss, nickelback Marqui Christian had a rough go of it against the Rams, where he allowed five catches on six targets for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Christian’s performance shed a light on how the Bears are still searching for answers at slot corner.

According to defensive coordinator Sean Desai, the competition at slot corner is still ongoing between Christian and Duke Shelley, who was a surprise healthy scratch in Week 1.

“You know, there were a lot things that go into that decision and it’s been a great competition and it continues to be a great competition with him and Duke,” Desai said. “We as a staff felt that (Christian) edged out there in the beginning and earned that spot there and so we felt good with that decision.”

Head coach Matt Nagy didn’t name a starting nickelback during his Thursday press conference, which seemed to indicate even the Bears don’t know who will be starting in the slot come Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.