The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Chicago Bears are now emphatically positioned to make a Super Bowl run.
Unfortunately for this fan base, Ryan Poles did not go out and make another deal before the deadline passed. Surely, we all would have been thrilled with another cornerback addition.
But, that didn't happen.
Ironically enough, as we dig into a trio of players who likely won't be back next year, the group includes that very position.
The Bears will stick it out with these 3 players, but come 2027, they'll be gone
Jaylon Johnson, CB
While Jaylon Johnson, and Tyrique Stevenson for that matter, weren't involved in any trade rumors or discussions, their names are still key figures in this all as the fan base was begging for another cornerback in Chicago, before the deadline.
No, a pick-six isn't going to save Jaylon Johnson's future with the Bears. He still looked like a linebacker running that one back for a score, against Tampa Bay, sadly enough.
Johnson is going to need one heck of a second half, this season, in order to stick around. The Bears' defense has drastically improved and Johnson has continued to be one of the only guys who hasn't kept up.
Next offseason, the Bears can save $16 million by cutting ties. That is a significant amount of money that could be used on his direct replacement in free agency, among other things.
Chicago could roll with Malik Muhammad at one outside corner and then use a combination of drafting a rookie and signing a free agent to fill the other side.
I don't think Johnson ever had much trade value, at the deadline, but regardless, he's not coming back for the 2027 campaign based on what we've seen so far. Johnson has allowed an opposing passer rating of 104.9 and nearly 12 yards per target through nine games, per Pro Football Reference.
Tyrique Stevenson, CB
Staying on that same note, Tyrique Stevenson can follow Johnson right out the door, except in an easier fashion because his contract is up.
Both Stevenson and Johnson have been an issue, this season.
If you thought Johnson's opposing passer rating was bad, Stevenson is allowing a rating of 129.5, which is 36.1 points higher than his previous career-worst, as a rookie.
We could dive into other numbers and analytics, but Bears fans know what they've watched. He's been atrocious; oblivious, at times, it's looked like.
Look, the Bears are going to have to roll the rest of the way with Stevenson and Johnson on the roster this year. But, when the 2027 offseason rolls around, there is a very slim chance they stick around.
Roschon Johnson, RB
If Week 9 taught us anything, it's that Roschon Johnson's final days with the Bears are written in stone. His fate has been sealed.
When you're benched for a practice squad player, who hadn't appeared in a regular season game since 2023, that's pretty telling. And, that's nothing against Salvon Ahmed, whatsoever. He's got some juice, to his credit.
But, Johnson just hasn't panned out as the guy Chicago thought he once could be. He doesn't have the explosiveness. He isn't one who can read his blockers well or execute the quick cuts needed to extend runs.
At one point, this season, Johnson received some work out of necessity, which might have given the Bears some semblance of leverage in a possible trade. But, Kyle Monangai missing extended time put a damper on any possibility of Johnson being dangled in trade discussions.
And, let's be honest, I don't think the Bears could've gotten anything for him.
Honorable mention whose fate pulled a complete 180: Montez Sweat, DE
Prior to the Bears trading for Jeffery Simmons, Montez Sweat was nothing more than just a guy in the defensive end rotation. Let's be honest. We didn't hear his name come up more than once or twice a game, if that.
The Bears simply weren't getting return on their investment in Sweat. The fact is, Chicago could save about $21 million by cutting ties with him next year.
That's a good chunk of change that Poles could have invested in either another pass rusher or even a free agent cornerback, while addressing the pass rush via the draft.
Yet, Simmons' arrival changed everything. Sweat was a player the Bers could have let go in 2027, but now, he's pulled a 180. Playing next to his college teammate, once again, has drastically impacted his game.
Sweat looks as good as we've ever seen him, in Chicago, and the single move to bring in Simmons is the sole reason.
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