The Chicago Bears already made an addition to their secondary by signing CJ Gardner-Johnson last week. The polarizing backfield defender made his debut with the team on Sunday, seeing the majority of his snaps at nickel corner. While it’s too early to tell whether CJGJ will make a positive impact on the team’s defense, the Bears still need to make another addition to their cornerback rotation.
The struggles in the pass defense have been evident since the start of the season, but they reached new lows against the Bengals. Joe Flacco threw for 449 yards, and the Bengals’ receivers seemed to get whatever they needed against the Bears’ defenders. As a team, the Bears got a miserable 30.1 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus, with Tyrique Stevenson and Nahshon Wright receiving 26.5 and 43.3 defensive grades, respectively. Add in the fact that Nick McCloud hasn’t performed well all season, and the Bears’ lack of quality depth becomes obvious.
The Bears rank among the bottom-ten units in pass defense. They allow the second-most net yards gained per passing attempt, and have already given up 20 passing TDs, the third-highest figure in the NFL. That is why, on average, they give up the fourth-most points in the league.
Injuries have already played a big role in this, and the returns of Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon will obviously help. At the same time, the Bears can’t afford to wait patiently until their return when the pair is not close to getting back on the field. Plus, Chicago has postseason aspirations, and they don’t have the luxury to be patient. That is why they have to turn to the free agent market to address their concerns.
Stephon Gilmore Is Who Bears Need to Fix Defense
The Bears still have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to swing for a CB trade. Yet, it’s understandable if GM Ryan Poles doesn’t want to give up significant draft capital as part of an in-season deal. The Bengals’ Cam Taylor-Britt, Dolphins’ Rasul Douglas, and Chiefs’ Kristian Fulton could be options there, but free agency provides cheaper and more dependable options.
Asante Samuel Jr. and Stephon Gilmore are the obvious targets there. Samuel offers the higher upside, but he also has injury concerns. Gilmore, on the other hand, has the perfect combination of competence, experience, and versatility. He can be utilized in the slot or on the outside and has been consistently healthy over the last several years. At age 35, perhaps he has a risk of decline, but he has been productive and healthy throughout his 30s, and that shouldn’t change after he spent the first half of this season not playing.
Adding Gilmore to the roster means that the Bears would be upgrading both Wright’s and McCloud’s spots in the rotation. The two veterans have been weak links on defense, and Gilmore could help stabilize things, at least until the injured stars’ return.
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