After the big move to add defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, the biggest trade deadline need for the Chicago Bears was absolutely clear. Jaylon Johnson's Week 9 performance may have curbed some of that desperate need, but you can never have enough capable cornerbacks.
Not to a lack of reported effort, general manager Ryan Poles followed the big move for Simmons with nothing between then and the trade deadline. What should've been, and likely was, strong effort to add a cornerback at the deadline fell short. Around the league, no one at the position switched teams at the deadline.
When it came down to it, after surrendering his next two first-round picks to get Simmons, Poles probably didn't have the draft capital to make a notable cornerback trade. If a needle-mover (Riq Woolen, Sauce Gardner, etc.) couldn't be added, it was ok to sit out.
But the need still exists, and there are free agent cornerbacks available. Of course anyone who is available into November is available because they have at least one wart, so a real difference maker probably still isn't coming.
That said, here are three free agent cornerbacks the Bears could kick the tires on soon.
3 free agent cornerbacks the Bears could sign after not making a trade deadline move
3. Adoree' Jackson
Jackson has never lived up to his billing as a first-round pick back in 2017, but he does have 92 starts on his resume. His PFF grades last season with the Philadelphia Eagles were dismal overall, but from Week 7 he posted what would be considered an average mark (61.2) and, per Pro Football Reference he allowed a 87.0 passer rating in his coverage.
Tyrique Stevenson is a bad mix of inept and banged up these days. Jackson isn't fantastic himself, but he could at least take some snaps away and be something other than burn toast or banged up every other play.
2. Reddy Steward
The Bears signed Steward as an undrafted free agent in 2024, and he spent most of that season on the practice squad after being a training camp darling. The Minnesota Vikings signed him to a futures contract in 2025, before waiving him in August.
Steward then landed with the Dallas Cowboys, and he played all 17 games (and more than 500 defensive snaps) for them last season. He played in three games for Dallas this season, with two starts, before being released from the practice squad on Tuesday.
Since he was let go from the practice squad, rather than the active roster, Steward does not have to clear waivers. So he is a free agent, able to be signed immediately. A reunion with the Bears could happen quickly then.
1. Marshon Lattimore
After winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and earning four Pro Bowl nods over his first five NFL seasons, injuries and poor play have become the rule for Lattimore. He played just two games for the Washington Commanders after the New Orleans Saints traded him there in 2024, and he played just nine games for them last season.
Of course those peak early years in New Orleans for Lattimore came with Bears' defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as the Saints' defensive coordinator. If he is or can be healthy, there could still be something there in a part-time role.
It wouldn't surprising, driven by Allen's familiarity, to see a transaction wire note that Lattimore paid a visit to Halas Hall sometime soon. A signing might not happen, but it would be worthwhile to see what he looks like.
Honorable Mention: Trevon Diggs
This would be another reunion with a Bears' coach. Defensive backs coach Al Harris was the cornerbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys for five seasons (2020-2024), overlapping exactly with Diggs' first five NFL seasons.
The two best seasons of Diggs career came under Harris' guidance. In 2021 he led the NFL with 11 interceptions (with two pick-sixes) and 21 pass breakups as he earned a First Team All-Pro nod. He followed that with three interceptions and a Pro Bowl nod in 2022, as he was actually better by some measures compared to the previous season,
A torn ACL in 2023 set Diggs' career off-course. However in 2024, post-ACL tear, he still allowed just an 84.9 passer rating in his coverage.
The last couple years have been a bleep-show for Diggs. He missed time with a concussion last season, before the Cowboys waived him in late-December. He then landed with the Green Bay Packers, playing 33 defensive snaps in Week 18 and one in the Wild Card Round loss to the Bears.
Diggs has bounced between the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad and game day roster this season, seeing a very little bit of action (27 defensive snaps) in four games entering Week 10. He was not on the active roster for Week 8 against the Bears.
For as good as he was in 2021, Diggs also allowed over 900 yards and nearly 17 yards per target in his coverage that season. He was less boom and bust in 2022, before his ACL tear.
If anyone can get Diggs back toward his peak form, the Bears/Harris would be at the top of the list. In the hunt for cornerback options, poaching him from Seattle's practice squad could be on the radar.
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