The Chicago Bears had one of their best offseasons in years in 2025. Most of that was courtesy of their excellent draft class led by Colston Loveland and Luther Burden. However, they also scored some vital hits on the free agent market. Center Drew Dalman became a Pro Bowler on offense, while Nahshon Wright exploded out of nowhere for five interceptions after replacing an injured Jaylon Johnson at cornerback. Wright was a complete nobody when the Bears picked him up. He’d been a former 3rd round pick in Dallas who’d been traded to Minnesota after failing to find his footing. The Vikings soon cut him as well.
Chicago represented what might be the last of his dwindling chances. He made the most of it, parlaying that Pro Bowl campaign into a nice payday from the New York Jets. Still, that has left the Bears secondary with questions of depth at cornerback. Johnson and Kyler Gordon are coming off injury-plagued seasons. It might be wise to bring in some extra help. Bill Barnwell of ESPN believes this coaching staff might be capable of delivering another miracle turnaround for a pair of former disappointing draft picks.
The Bears could bring one of those veterans in on a one-year deal, but that would be to compete with Stevenson, not replace him. The likes of Tre’Davious White or Jeff Okudah could be more appealing. Chicago could also try to buy low on a disappointing young player such as Kyu Blu Kelly or Kaiir Elam, hoping that Allen might coax more out of them than their previous staffs.
While the Bears might hope to address wide receiver and edge rusher early on in the 2026 draft, the secondary should also be a priority.
Both players share traits with Nahshon Wright.
Kelly and Elam are both good athletes with size and length. Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris prefers players of that ilk. Kelly was a 5th round pick of Baltimore in 2023 but never found much playing time. He seemed to have a minor breakthrough last season with three interceptions, but it was with a terrible Las Vegas Raiders team. Elam had all the athletic tools one could want, which is why the Buffalo Bills took him in the 1st round in 2022. Things just never clicked. He never built on what was a promising rookie season and was eventually traded to Dallas. After that flamed out, he ended up in Tennessee, where he had a couple of nice moments on a bad team as well.
Such a move would be a calculated gamble on Harris’s coaching abilities. He was the one primarily responsible for developing Wright. The two also worked together in Dallas. He has a knack for coaching cornerbacks, which isn’t surprising given his past success as a player. This would come down to whether he feels one of those two players might be fixable. Based on recent assessments, Kelly seems the more promising of the two. He seemed to find himself a little last season and might be nearing full blossoming.
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The draft will likely dictate this decision.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has demonstrated a desire to draft cornerbacks every year. He already proved that again in 2025 by selecting Zah Frazier in the 5th round. The team may still wish to give him an opportunity. There is also a chance they will keep adding with another pick, hoping to gain added depth at one of the most important positions in the league. However, if the Bears wish to focus on the front seven and safety, which most expect, then going the veteran route makes sense.
The odds of landing another Nahshon Wright who will lead the league among corners in interceptions is remote. Still, there is a good chance they can find another quality body somewhere. Harris is a good enough coach to point the way. Maybe it’s Kelly. Maybe it’s Elam. Or maybe it is somebody else. The trick is determining who fits what they do best.
