Going into the 2026 NFL Draft, every Chicago Bears fan is expecting the team to be very heavy on defense with their selections.
Looking at positions like edge rusher, defensive tackle, and safety, those are the ones that must be addressed in the draft. Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine named a surprising position group for each team that needs addressing, with the Bears at cornerback.
"The starting duo of Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson are set for 2026. However, Stevenson is set to hit free agency in 2027 and Spotrac projects a four-year, $80 million contract for the 25-year-old. If the Bears are hesitant to hand that out then they might be looking to the draft to get ahead of the need. Chris Johnson closed out the first round of our latest mock, but Brandon Cisse is a physical corner who could wind up being available. He's the kind of physical corner defensive coordinator Dennis Allen would love to have."
Bears might have to consider cornerback more than the other positions
Jaylon Johnson should be back at 100% in 2026 and be the Pro Bowler Bears fans have seen in 2023 and 2024. Stevenson, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired as he had great games last year against the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders, but struggled in others to the point that he was essentially benched for Nahshon Wright late in the season.
Ballentine had some suggestions on who the Bears could look at in the 2026 NFL Draft:
- Brandon Cisse, South Carolina
- Chris Johnson, San Diego State
- Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State
The Bears would be wise to use Day 2 or 3 to fill the cornerback position. They still need to get an edge rusher or safety in the first round, as that's more important than cornerback, but they can't ignore the whole secondary.
There has been speculation that nickel corner Kyler Gordon could potentially move to safety in 2026. If that happens, the cornerback position becomes way more important to address in the draft.
Read more: Bears new free agent signing should be put on notice before training camp begins
Watch for the Bears to potentially address cornerback sooner than fans expect.