The Chicago Bears made a clear effort to revamp the cornerback position this offseason, releasing Tracy Porter and signing three veterans in free agency to increase the competition in a secondary that was dreadful in 2016.

However, the roster wasn’t completely devoid of talent at cornerback last year. A pair of rookies, Deiondre Hall and Cre’Von LeBlanc, showed a lot to be excited about, even if they weren’t dominating from week to week.

Hall could be on the move to safety, but LeBlanc in particular shouldn’t be overlooked in the competition for the starting cornerback jobs.

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The 2016 undrafted rookie free agent was the Bears’ highest-graded cornerback last year by Pro Football Focus, and he ranked sixth in the NFL in PFF’s Playmaker Index, which is based on interceptions plus pass breakups divided by targets in the season.

LeBlanc’s impact doesn’t always show up in the numbers, though, even in advanced statistics like PFF.

“He has a lot of the things that don’t get measured,” Bears defensive backs coach Ed Donatell said, via CSN Chicago. “Numbers don’t measure his instincts, how he sees the ball when it’s in flight. Numbers don’t measure how tough he is. You can’t find that measuring stick. He’s a very gritty young man, and he’ll make our team better.”

What helps LeBlanc’s chances is his versatility to play both outside and in the slot. After the Bears claimed him off of waivers in early September, he quickly took over as the primary nickel back, before taking over as a starter on the outside after the team’s bye week.

Now with a full season and offseason in the Bears’ defense, he’s in prime position to build off his strong rookie showing and compete to start once again in 2017.

Even if he’s not their number one or two cornerback, he should still be their third option in the slot, which is essentially a starter in the modern NFL. The Bears use five defensive backs on the majority of their defensive snaps, and LeBlanc has shown plenty to suggest he’ll be on the field somewhere in those packages.