The Chicago Bears won their fourth straight game in Week 7, 26-14 over the New Orleans Saints. The defense helped cover for an offense that struggled, holding the Saints to 253 yards of offense with four sacks and four takeaways.
The Bears have operated without No. 1 cornerback Jaylon Johnson for all but one game this season, and after he had core muscle surgery his ability to return before the season is over is in doubt. Then the ranks got thinned a little more on Sunday, with Tyrique Stevenson suffering a shoulder injury and Nahshon Wright appeared to take a knee to stomach from teammate Kevin Byard.
Wright was able to return to Sunday's game, but Stevenson was deemed doubtful to return by the team, and he did not do so. After the game, as expected, head coach Ben Johnson told reporters that Monday would provide a better evaluation of where Stevenson is with his injury.
Stevenson had been quite good in recent weeks, but he had some struggles before his injury on Sunday. It's fair to think Bears general manager Ryan Poles has had his eye on the trade market at cornerback, but now that eye may have to ramp up to action if Stevenson is going to miss significant time (or even if he doesn't).
With that in mind, here are some cornerbacks the Bears should be eyeing before the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
5 cornerbacks the Bears should have on their trade radar with Tyrique Stevenson injury uncertainty
5. Michael Carter II, New York Jets
Carter had an injury-plagued 2024 season with the Jets, and he was struggling before missing his third game in a row due to a concussion on Sunday. Still, he has been prominently mentioned as a trade candidate by multiple reporters, and the new regime in New York may just try to get what they can for him at this point.
Carter has basically exclusively been a slot corner in his career, which would seem to strain his fit for the Bears with that being Kyler Gordon's primary role. But Gordon can be effective on the outside too, and if Carter is healthy (a massive 'if' based on the last two years) he was all-around productive as the Jets' primary slot corner.
There is the small, or not-so small matter, of the three-year, $30.75 million deal the Jets gave Carter, which goes through 2027. But the commitment can be mitigated by nearly half of his 2026 base salary becoming fully guaranteed on March 18, and maybe the Jets would eat some money if it meant being able to move him.
The Bears could tie conditions (games played, snaps played this season) to the draft pick they part with, and get Carter at the very bottom of the bargain bin.
4. Cam Taylor-Britt, Cincinnati Bengals
Taylor-Britt started 38 of 39 games over his first three seasons with the Bengals. But he has started just one of his five games this season, and after struggling in Week 6 he was a healthy scratch in Week 7. Playing on a short week might have been a factor in that benching, but it also pushes him toward the trade block.
Defensive coordinator Al Golden seems to have a short leash with struggling players, as if he should be so picky given the overall quality of his unit. Taylor-Britt was a productive player in each of the previous two seasons, totaling seven interceptions and 27 pass breakups, and five games of struggle should not erase that for a new coordinator.
Taylor-Britt tried to be careful with his words after he was a healthy scratch, but the attitude he presented to reporters signified the frustration he couldn't completely hide. He wouldn't be the first Bengals player to be frustrated with his situation recently, and he probably won't be the last.
Taylor-Britt has shown flashes of what made him a second-round pick in 2022, and his trade value may never be lower than it is right now. The Bears should be ready to make an offer.
3. Roger McCreary, Tennessee Titans
The Titans are a clear trade deadline seller after dropping to 1-6 with Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots. Before that loss, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported they are "open for business" on everyone except quarterback Cam Ward and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
McCreary, in the final year of his rookie contract, has been easily named as someone the Titans would part with. Entering Sunday, he was not having a great season, allowing an 82.6 percent completion rate with a 107.8 passer rating allowed. But on the flipside. His overall Pro Football Focus grade was top 25 among cornerbacks, with a coverage grade in the same range entering Week 7.
If they make any trades, the Bears will likely prioritize players who could be more than rentals. McCready fits that bill, and it's worth wondering what he might be able to do with a change of scenery.
2. Rasul Douglas, Miami Dolphins
For some reason, perhaps due to a lack of other options coming off a down 2024 campaign, Douglas finally paid off rumors tying him to the Dolphins with a deal to play for them this season. His raw numbers entering Week 7 weren't broadly significant (102.9 passer rating allowed), but Pro Football Focus graded him as their seventh-best cornerback going into the week. That overall grade ranking will take a hit heading toward Week 8, with a 49.3 overall PFF grade for Sunday's game against the Browns (pending potential further review). However, his work has been good enough to draw interest in the trade market.
Douglas would be a nice fit for any team that needs a veteran cornerback, and the 1-6 Dolphins should have him near the top of the list of players they are willing to move. The prorated portion of his $1.255 million base salary is nothing for an acquiring team to take on, and the Bears should now be added to the list of possible suitors.
1. Alontae Taylor, New Orleans Saints
Taylor is the easy No. 1 here. Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen surely had some influence on the Saints drafting him in the second round of the 2022 draft, as he shifted from being the defensive coordinator to being the head coach. Taylor then had 75 or more tackles in 2023 and 2024, and this season, he has taken some notable steps forward as a cover corner.
Read more: Ben Johnson's six-word response to how Bears defeated Saints in Week 7
Taylor, as has been stated elsewhere recently, presumably would not need much (if any) time to get acclimated to Allen's defensive system. He can play outside or in the slot, and he could be more than a rental in the final year of his contract. If Allen will vouch for his former pupil as a fit, Poles could make a quick deal here.