As the trade deadline fast approaches, the Chicago Bears sit in the middle ground as a potential buyer and a potential seller. It's fair to assume a proverbial "all-in" move isn't coming, but there's a case for making a focused addition or two with a push for a playoff spot absolutely in play this year.
The Bears have issues to address on the defensive side of the ball, injury-driven of otherwise, but the move that has been made to supposedly help doesn't make a lot of overall sense. C.J. Gardner-Johnson has history with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, but he's become a safety by primary trade when the Bears have more obvious needs at edge rusher and cornerback.
Gardner-Johnson's likely fit with the Bears can be revealed, though. With Kyler Gordon on IR, the Bears are without their primary slot corner. Over three years with Allen as his defensive coordinator in New Orleans (2019-2021), the slot was Gardner-Johnson's primary role in the Saints' secondary, and he was pretty good in it.
The question, of course, is years later, if Gardner-Johnson can still be an effective slot corner. But it's also fair to assume signing him came with Allen's blessing/endorsement.
Dennis Allen reunion that makes more sense offered for Bears at the trade deadline
There is a potentially available cornerback who has history with Allen and makes perfect sense as a trade target for the Bears. In ESPN.com's fresh look at the 2025 trade deadline for each team, analyst Ben Solak took that idea a different direction to name a player the Bears could target.
Washington Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
"This would be back-to-back trade deadline relocations for Lattimore, who picked off Patrick Mahomes on Monday but has struggled since Washington acquired him. He would return to Dennis Allen's defense, where the absence of Jaylon Johnson leaves the outside cornerback position unsettled for the Bears. Lattimore isn't the player he once was but probably would still beat out Tyrique Stevenson for snaps."
Lattimore's missed 25 of a possible 51 regular season games over the last three full seasons, and his best days are clearly behind him. He has played all eight games for Washington so far this season, with a mixed bag of good and troubling numbers (84.9 passer rating allowed, 14.8 yards per completion allowed, a Pro Football Focus coverage grade that's 94th out of 116 qualified cornerbacks). The Week 8 interception Solak noted was his first this season.
All of that said, Lattimore would be an upgrade over anyone the Bears had to deploy at cornerback against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. Tyrique Stevenson can hopefully return from injury sooner as opposed to later, while Gordon and Jaylon Johnson are on IR with ostensibly different timetables. On that front, it'd be surprising if Johnson plays again this season.
Any mention of the Bears trading for someone has to include an acknowledgement of his contract.
Lattimore is under contract through 2026. The Bears (or any other team) would take on an $8.9 million cap hit for this year and an $18.5 million cap commitment for 2026 if they traded for him. But as Over The Cap reveals, none of that 2026 money is guaranteed salary with a $2 million roster bonus due to him on March 20. A pre-June 1 cut would leave behind no dead money.
So as a practical matter, Lattimore can be a rest of the season rental with an acquiring team committing less than $9 million to him.
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As reunions with Allen go, in an effort to help the Bears' secondary, Lattimore makes a lot more sense than Gardner-Johnson.