Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles got the team through the 2025 trade deadline, and it was honestly not so great.
Bears fans can find solace in the fact that Poles did at least make one trade in the process. Chicago got defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka from the Cleveland Browns to help with depth at the position after Dayo Odeyingbo's Achilles injury.
The problem is that Poles wasn't as aggressive at the deadline as some might have hoped, even if it isn't the worst strategy. What Chicago failed to do that fans were hoping something would happen at was at cornerback.
Why not acquiring a cornerback could hurt the Bears in the long haul in 2025
For Chicago not to make a trade at cornerback means a couple of things for the Poles. One, the team is confident in the individuals they currently have. Two, they feel confident enough that at least Jaylon Johnson or Kyler Gordon will be back before the end of the season.
That's a lot to bank on with Johnson and Gordon, who have each been hurt twice this season and have missed significant time. Sure, they could return in 2025, but can they actually stay on the field, or will they reaggravate their injuries, as they did earlier in the year?
At the least, the Bears should have found a way to bring in another CB2 or a starting caliber corner of some kind to either replace Nahshon Wright or help Tyrique Stevenson out in the secondary.
Evidence showed in their Week 9 thrilling win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Sure, that game had an incredible ending, but it should have never happened. Stevenson and Wright were ripped apart, with each allowing over 100 yards receiving from Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. That shouldn't happen if two qualified starting cornerbacks are on the field.
Just because C.J. Gardner-Johnson was signed to the team to play nickel doesn't mean he solves their issues. Stevenson's inconsistency and Wright's struggles against top receivers are the biggest problems for the secondary.
Read more: C.J. Gardner-Johnson needed one game to be difference maker on Bears' defense
Bears fans now have to hope that either Stevenson can find his elite play from the beginning of the season back or that Jaylon Johnson is back as soon as possible because the cornerbacks they have out on the field right now aren't going to cut it for a potential playoff run.