Bear Digest

All the Reasons Bears Could Pursue Cornerback Help This Offseason

Cornerback seems like the last position the Bears want to improve but that's not necessarily the case based on their past and other factors.
Gene Chamberlain|
C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson try to stop Giants running back Devin Singletary after a catch and run.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson try to stop Giants running back Devin Singletary after a catch and run. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

There is very little the Bears can do in free agency or the draft that is not on defense, save signing a left tackle insurance policy.

Simply retaining Braxton Jones at left tackle would solve that problem but probably isn't realistic because of costs. Pro Football Focus' Zoltán Buday labels Jones the most underrated tackle this free agency period and that, in and of itself, says he's not underrated at all. He'll be pursued by teams needing tackles based on his first three years, which weren't as bad as his detractors claim.

However, on the other side of the football there are numerous positions the Bears must address.

Their run defense and interior pass rush were in need of upgrading, so defensive tackles make the most sense. Their edge rush is short on bodies and also shy of productivity beyond Montez Sweat and Austin Booker, so addition here is necessary. They have no safeties under contract and their linebacker corps could require help if they trim Tremaine Edmunds for salary cap purposes.

Add all of that together and about the only position left where it appears they need no help is cornerback. Expect them to add a cornerback at some point, though.

One year ago heading into the combine, Ben Johnson described the importance he sees in that position despite being from the offensive side, and before he'd even coached a Bears game.

“Talking with DA (defensive coordinator Dennis Allen) has been very enlightening because we share the same mindset when it comes to defensive football, which is we want to affect the passer," Johnson said. "And there's a lot of different ways you can do that.

"Certainly up front, the pass rush is the primary thing you think of, but also on the back end it's challenging the receivers and disrupting the timing. When we look at guys that are available absolutely we want to upgrade the pass rush and we also want on the backend to be able to come up and lockdown receivers as well. It's that fine balance and marriage between the rush and coverage that we're looking to augment.”

As a result, here are the reasons to anticipate the Bears adding cornerback help at some point.

1. Cornerbacks play vital role, Bears have to add talent

No less of an NFL expert on building NFL rosters than Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome is often credited with saying, "You can never have too many corners."

Last year the Bears counted this as a strength heading into the season, then Poles was busy sorting through waivers to find someone because all of their cornerbacks were getting hurt. Cornerbacks play too vital of a role in today's NFL to go without adding talent there in any draft or free agency period.

If Newsome hadn't said it, someone else would have: “You can never have too many corners."

In fact, they did.

"You can never have enough of them," Allen said last season. "And look, depth is what you need in this league, because eventually injuries happen in this league, and you're going to have to call upon some guys to be backup players, to have to come out and play at a starter’s level. And so that's why we coach every single one of them the same way, from the top of the roster down to the bottom of the roster, because we're going to need all these guys to develop."

Last year they had injuries. So who's to say they wouldn't have even more in 2026. Depth at the position is absolute necessity.

2. Nahshon Wright

They're not keeping him. It simply wouldn't be financially prudent considering how much they spent on Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. Pro Bowl cornerbacks almost never just pop up in free agency, so someone will throw a lot of money at a player who has had only one good year in his career and was on the waiver-wire scrap heap a year ago.

3. Jaylon Johnson

When he returned last year after core muscle surgery, he obviously wasn't the same player. Everyone came down on Caleb Williams or DJ Moore for the interception to kill the Bears' season in overtime, but that didn't mean the season had ended. Their own defense wasn't backed up deep, and simply needed another stop. It was Johnson the Rams victimized, then, with the pass to Puka Nacua to extend the drive and get into scoring position for the win. Johnson should be able to recover 100%, but that requires an offseason of hard rehab. At what he's paid, he must get this done and return to being the Bears’ lockdown cornerback. There are no guarantees here, only the hard work necessary.

4. Kyler Gordon

They paid him and he's an explosive addition on defense in Allen's system at slot cornerback when healthy. When, exactly, will that be?

Gordon has missed 23 games in his four-year career. That's the kind of record that landed Teven Jenkins a ticket out of town. He has missed at least two games every season and last year's groin injury was truly the never-ending story in a Bears season full of medical tales.

5. Tyrique Stevenson

He seemed unappreciated by Allen last year, and with a contract year approaching it is a good time to either trade him or commit. Because of obvious ability, someone would value him at the current lower Year 4 rookie rate. The brief spurts when he behaves like he's back in high school are what bother people. Maybe he finally matures, but who knows?

6. Nick McCloud

No. Don't even think of signing him as a backup. He had a 140.7 passer rating and 77.8% completions against when targeted while giving up three touchdowns in 275 coverage snaps.

7. Zah Frazier

He missed his entire rookie season due to injury, played a very questionable level of football in college and really hasn't played much football, period. He's also 26 years old this season. No one can be certain at this point that he is anything beyond a wasted fifth-round draft pick.

8. Terell Smith

An ACL tear in August, like he had, should leave him ready by training camp. But speed was a big asset for him and it's questionable whether he'll have that back 100% immediately. The Bears originally described him as an ideal zone cover corner, but they're now playing more man.

9. C.J. Gardner-Johnson

He has already cryptically pronounced himself for the open market and was only brought aboard as a stop-gap measure.

10. Lack of scheme fit

No one will want to think this after how much the Bears devoted to building their secondary over Poles' first four offseasons, but it is entirely possible that although the talent is good, it does not fit what Allen wants to do. One theory about why they had all of their groin or hamstring injuries in 2025—Johnson, Gordon, linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds—is they are not man-to-man coverage types as much as zone guys, and are overextending themselves in unfamiliar ways in man-coverage, resulting in injuries. It's just a theory, but not insane. Something must explain all of that damaged soft tissue.

The best way to combat injuries, as Allen said, is depth.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.