The Chicago Bears encountered some brutal luck last year at the cornerback position. Jaylon Johnson injured his groin while training and then ruptured his core after returning. He missed half of the season. Kyler Gordon missed 14 games with various soft tissue problems. Terell Smith was lost to a torn ACL. Amidst that crisis, the Bears brought in Nahshon Wright. A former 3rd round pick in Dallas, he’d been recently waived by Minnesota. He had ties to Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris. He might provide some help.
What he ended up giving them was five interceptions, as by far one of the biggest surprises of the 2025 season. His presence was crucial to Chicago’s division title and playoff run. Unfortunately, he left in free agency for a nice payday. The Bears hoped their corner position wouldn’t be so bad health-wise this time.
Gordon has yet to practice all offseason. Tyrique Stevenson and Cam Lewis have been banged up. The vibes haven’t changed much. As before, the Bears were forced to bring in some late help. This time, they added third-year corner Beanie Bishop. Despite only a couple of practices to prepare, he wasted no time making his presence felt in the preseason opener.
Bishop and Nahshon Wright are not the same player.
Let’s make that clear right away. Wright was a classic boundary cornerback with a tall, long frame. Bishop is only 5’9″ and 190 lbs. He is a pure slot cornerback. That said, they do have one thing in common. They can force turnovers. During his rookie season with Pittsburgh in 2024, Bishop snagged four interceptions. For whatever reason, he was demoted last year and eventually released by the team in favor of bigger veteran names. After a stint on the New Orleans Saints practice squad, he became available again this offseason, and the Bears were quick to snatch him up.
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Clearly, his nose for the football hasn’t left him. Two interceptions in a game, just six days after signing with the team, is pretty impressive. Granted, both throws by the quarterback were terrible, but Bishop was still in a position to make the play. This excludes the other three pass defenses he finished with. Suffice to say, he was around the football a lot. If he could do that after six days of work, imagine how much better he might get with enough time to learn the defense.
The one person who should be nervous is Gordon.
Head coach Ben Johnson hasn’t hidden his displeasure with the cornerback’s continued absence. It is pretty safe to assume the Bears are looking for every excuse to unload his contract at the earliest opportunity. Meanwhile, they’re also seeking an alternative at nickel cornerback they can rely on. Bishop feels like the first one who can be a legitimate threat. He’s played the position plenty, had success, and is young. The only thing holding him back is the knowledge that he will miss the first three games of the season with a suspension.
There is still more work to do. One good game won’t be enough to convince this coaching staff that Bishop deserves a place on the roster. He must show them every day in practice. Every day Gordon is gone certainly helps, that’s for sure. It would also ease the pressure on 4th round pick Malik Muhammad, who’s been trying to learn nickel corner on the fly. If this is another Nahshon Wright situation, the Bears should be investigated for witchcraft.
