Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn't want to call it a statement win, but their 17-point victory over the Seattle Seahawks showed the NFL they are close to a Super Bowl title. Potentially adding an old friend, New York Jets cornerback Nahshon Wright, might do the trick, though.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles was already bold enough to trade for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, and that move has already paid off big time. Simmons had six tackles, two tackles for loss, one pass deflection, one quarterback hit, one sack, and one pass deflection in the 34-17 win over the Seahawks.
All of that was wonderful, but once again, the Bears' cornerback position just didn't play well enough for Chicago fans to be 100% confident that they could do it. Poles might have to pull off another trade to make that happen.
Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson let down the Bears again in Week 8
The longer the season goes on, the more frustrating it gets to watch Johnson and Stevenson play football. Those two have been the starters on the outside for the most part, and they are just not getting the job done.
Johnson's main problem is that he's missing way too many tackles. He had two bad missed tackles that let Seattle pick up big yards and get first downs. In the game, he wasn't awful in coverage, allowing just 29 yards off of three completions, but he did allow a two-point conversion to be caught.
Stevenson, on the other hand, made Bears fans want to scratch their eyes out with how horrendous he was in pass coverage. He was targeted nine times, allowed five completions for 98 yards, and surrendered two touchdowns. There's a legitimate argument that Stevenson might be the NFL's worst starting corner in coverage.
Bears fans are hoping rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad can return in Week 9 after missing time with an injury. Muhammad is needed badly in that secondary to offset the awfulness of Johnson and Stevenson.
Nahshon Wright needs to rescue the Bears from nightmarish cornerback room
While everyone's focused on whether the Bears can land a trade for Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack, that's the wrong focus for the team. Their cornerback room is a mess, with Johnson and Stevenson each allowing a quarterback rating of 129 or higher this season.
This is where someone like Wright can step in and help the Bears immediately. Are there better cornerbacks the Bears can trade for? Yes, there are, but Wright has a lot working for him that could keep the Bears from having to give up a good draft pick.
Wright already knows Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's scheme, so there won't be much of a ramp-up time needed. Last year, Wright thrived in Allen's defense, leading the NFL in turnovers with 10 and making his first Pro Bowl appearance.
The Jets aren't using Wright at all; he's played in three games, so why keep him? They are paying him $5.5 million for the year to rot on the bench, so they might as well get something out of him and give Wright a chance to play this season.
Last season, Wright wasn't perfect in coverage and gave up a lot of yards, but he is much better than what the Bears have now. At minimum, Wright is a depth piece; at best, he replaces Johnson or Stevenson in the lineup.
Read more: 7 winners (and 2 losers) from Bears' dominant MNF win over Seahawks
Poles can't afford to let his corners ruin what could be the Bears' best shot at winning a Super Bowl in over a decade. One simple trade for Wright could be the thing that puts them over the top and helps them hoist that Lombardi Trophy.
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