Tillman has surgery, move to FS next year?

Charles “Peanut” Tillman is hoping to come back next season as a new man after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder. The shoulder was originally injured week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles but Tillman played through the pain, missing only one game after he doubled up hurting the other shoulder two weeks later at Atlanta. This is the second time Tillman has had surgery on his right shoulder the first being after 2005.

Now the pessimist will ask if it was Tillman’s bum shoulder that let ex-Bear Bernard Berrian loose for that 99 yard touchdown pass in Minnesota. But for the skeptics out there it should be noted that the last time Tillman caught serious ire from Bears fans was in 2005 when he got torched by Steve Smith and also played with a bum shoulder. The two years following Peanut came back at a Pro Bowl caliber level.

The question really shouldn’t be, will Tillman’s play return to its previous level? Over his six year career with the Bears he has proven to be one of their top defensive performers. The question is, what position will Charles Tillman be returning to and how will that effect the players around him?

It’s a question that is not likely to be answered for a long time, but given the Bears desperate need at free safety if one can’t be found in the draft or via free agency it could signal a move for Peanut. Talk of Tillman moving to safety is nothing new, former defensive coordinator Greg Blache thought he could be a Pro Bowler at the position when he was drafted in 2003. His coverage skills would certainly be welcome in a safety group that could rarely stop anyone this season.

Can they afford to lose him as a cornerback though? With plenty of doubt surrounding the return/revival of Nathan Vasher from two injury riddled years the move to safety for Tillman could leave the Bears with Corey Graham and not much else at the position. Not a welcome thought in a division filled with Berrian, Greg Jennings, and Calvin Johnson.

That more than anything will probably have Peanut back against the oppositions best WR, but a strong return for Vasher or the emergence of Zach Bowman could allow the Bears to make the switch. But cornerback or safety the Bears defense is at their best with a healthy Charles Tillman on the field.