After the big trade for Jeffery Simmons, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles didn't need to do anything else to win the trade deadline compared to about 29 of the other 31 teams. The trade market at cornerback simply did not materialize across the league, leaving behind a quiet deadline day at Halas Hall.
If the Bears are going to add a cornerback, and one really should be, it'll be via signing someone off another team's practice squad or from a list of less than fully inspiring free agents. That said, an interesting and familiar option is now available.
On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers activated defensive tackle Derrick Harmon from IR. In the corresponding move, cornerback Terell Smith was waived.
Smith was a fifth-round pick by the Bears out of the University of Minnesota in 2023. He played 26 games over his first two seasons, making six starts. Then he missed the entire 2025 season after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his right knee during the preseason, and he was the Bears' first notable reported cut on cutdown day this year.
The Washington Commanders added Smith to their practice squad in early September. The Steelers signed him in early October, and he appeared in one game for them, exclusively on special teams (12 snaps).
Ryan Poles should absolutely entertain bringing Terell Smith back
It's obviously a fairly small sample, and it was a couple, pre-major injury seasons ago now. But over a total of 584 defensive snaps over those two healthy seasons as a Bear, Smith allowed an 88.0 passer rating in his coverage with 68 total tackles, four tackles for loss, an interception and 10 pass breakups.
Smith operated predominantly as an outside corner during that time as a Bear, splitting snaps nearly equally between the right and left side. Pro Football Focus was very complimentary of his work, including overall and coverage grades that would've been top-10 among cornerbacks if had played enough snaps to qualify in 2024.
Smith will be subject to the waiver process, and the Bears' record puts them down the pecking order there. It's also very possible a season-plus of being effectively off the grid will let him reach the Bears if they make a claim, or he could go unclaimed and become a free agent.
Terell Smith could potentially replace Tyrique Stevenson
This season, and it's only a slight exaggeration, it feels like Tyrique Stevenson is either getting torched in coverage or leaving the field with some kind of injury. He's begging to be replaced opposite Jaylon Johnson, it's just that the Bears have not been fully equipped to do it. Rookie Malik Muhammad returning to action after the bye might be what it takes to make it happen.
Coincidentally or not, Stevenson was benched around this time last season. After Week 11, including the playoffs, he played more than 38 percent of the defensive snaps in a game once. He missed a couple games with an injury, and he didn't see the field despite being in uniform for Week 18. When it came down to it, the Bears preferred to put a clearly less than 100 percent Jaylon Johnson on the field over Stevenson.
The list of available cornerback options isn't robust right now. Smith is familiar to Poles, and it can be argued the decision to cut him in August was wrong. He had success in Matt Eberflus' defense, so he could work well in Dennis Allen's more aggressive scheme.
Should he land back with the Bears, however the process looks, Smith would be unlikely to step right into starter-level snaps. But maybe he could play that much eventually, and any snaps he can take away from Stevenson would automatically be a good thing.
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