Chicago Bears sign a fourth defensive back in 3 days: Here are 3 questions we're asking

The Chicago Bears are trying to keep up with the high number of injuries they've had in the defensive backfield.

The team made its fourth defensive back addition in three days. Here are three questions we have after this Sunday transaction.

What we know:

The Bears signed cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. on Sunday. In a corresponding move, they've waived long-snapper Luke Elkin.

Bishop is the fourth defensive back to join the squad since the start of last week, joining Xavier Woods, William Wright and Brandon Hill.

The Bears need help in the secondary immediately, which makes sense for this move right now. Last week began with safety Coby Bryant getting hurt on the first padded practice of camp on Monday and it ended with Cam Lewis, Bryant's replacement, getting carted off with his own injury on Saturday.

Hill, Wright and Bishop were three of the nine different defensive backs who worked out for the Bears last week. Those three have signed with the team. The other defensive backs that worked out for the Bears were Eli Ricks, Isaiah Bolden, Jaylen Mahoney, Michael Ojemudia, Deantre Prince and DQ Smith.

Bears' defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said Lewis won't practice on Sunday, bringing a clear and present need for someone to play safety.

Woods will most likely get a crack at the first-team reps. Skylar Thomas filled in when Lewis left practice on Saturday. This is because Woods' experience stands out, having played for the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers and, most recently, the Tennessee Titans.

"He's a veteran player. He's played a lot of football in a few different schemes," Allen said. "He's been a productive player." 

What we don't know:

This Sunday transaction leads to a few questions.

What will next Saturday's preseason opener look like?

The first is how much time will Lewis miss?

"I haven't heard anything in terms of a timeline," Allen said.

If Lewis misses some time, the Bears will most likely be playing with their third-team safety starting next to rookie Dillon Thieneman.

Will it be Lewis, Thomas or Woods? That will go along way in telling us how healthy Lewis is and how the team values Woods after his first week at Halas Hall.

Will Woods find a way to stick?

When talking about Woods, Allen mentioned a particular trait that could help him at Halas Hall: Woods knows Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris.

"Al had him in Dallas, so there's some familiarity there with him," Allen said. "I just think, right now, we needed another veteran piece back there in the back end, specifically in the safety position."

Last year, Nahshon Wright came to the Bears as a depth piece and ended up earning Pro Bowl honors because he had a background with Harris.

This isn't to say Woods will be a Pro Bowler by any means. But, Harris has had a penchant of getting the most out of defensive backs, no matter where they are on the depth chart.

How much Woods' familiarity with Harris pays off remains to be seen, but there's no denying how that connection has helped players in the past.

Is the long snapper battle over?

In waiving Luke Elkin, the Bears are going with Beau Gardner as their primary long snapper from here on out.

It's a sign of how badly the Bears needed to make room to add defensive back depth. It was also a sign of how comfortable the Bears are with Gardner that they were willing to part with Elkin with those two battling to earn the starting long snapper job.

"I watch them off the field, their mannerisms, how they handle pressure, how they respond," Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said of the long snapper battle. "It's a high-pressure job. I watch how they communicate with their teammates."

After all the observations, Gardner was the player the Bears chose to keep while waiving the other side of the long snapper battle. The rookie from Georgia has the leg up in the competition. 

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