While the Chicago Bears 2024 season saw the franchise hit disastrous lows, the team’s secondary was arguably their biggest highlight. The Bears have made plenty of changes heading into 2025, but Chicago’s secondary is once again expected to remain supreme.
They’ll need to be playing in the NFC North. Jared Goff has developed into an offensive dynamo while Jordan Love just earned himself a massive contract extension. JJ McCarthy will finally be making his much anticipated NFL debut. The Bears won’t be taking a day off in the pass defense game in any of their divisional matchups.
Luckily for Chicago, they have the tools in place to succeed. In fact, Moe Moton of Bleacher Report ranked the Bears’ cornerback duo of Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson as the sixth-best in the NFL.
“Jaylon Johnson’s rise to stardom propels the Chicago Bears duo ahead of the Dallas Cowboys tandem,” Moton wrote. “Johnson has become a household name with back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons, registering six interceptions since 2023 after logging only one in his first three campaigns.”
“If Stevenson makes a bigger leap in consistency, the Bears’ cornerback duo will be in the top five next year,” he concluded.
Chicago Bears cornerback duo
Jaylon Johnson did the heavy lifting into getting Chicago into the top five. However, another Pro Bowl season from the cornerback would erase any questions about him being considered amongst the league’s best.
In 2023, Johnson made 36 tackles, alongside career-highs in passes defended (10) and interceptions (four). His numbers dropped slightly in 2024, with 53 tackles, eight passes defended and two interceptions. However, Johnson’s 76.2 grade from Pro Football Focus put him 19th out of 222 cornerbacks. If Johnson is able to hit his lofty expectations for 2025, his star status will only rise.
Stevenson is on much more precarious ground, especially after his actions during the Bears’ Hail Mary disaster. However, the cornerback is ready to turn a new leaf and prove why he deserves the starting spot across from Johnson. Over his two years in Chicago, Stevenson has racked up 164 tackles, 28 passes defended and six interceptions.
If the 25-year-old can smooth out some aspects of his game, the Bears would be a dangerous matchup for any opposing quarterback. That’s exactly what defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is trying to build in Chicago.
Don’t forget about Kyler Gordon
While Moton focused on only the outside cornerbacks, Kyler Gordon is arguably the best slot cornerback in the league. The Bears are at least paying him like he is.
Over his three years with the team, Gordon has put up 207 tackles, 17 passes defended and five interceptions. While he didn’t have a pick in 2024, the cornerback did make a career-high 75 sacks to go alongside five passes defended. Furthermore, Gordon’s 76 grade from PFF put him 21st out of 222 cornerbacks.
Allen has already stated that he wants Gordon to play more than just the slot, meaning there’s a chance the defensive back moves around the field in 2025. But that is a compliment to the cornerback’s game, as Allen wants him on the field as much as possible.
Even with all the changes, Chicago’s defense will still need to prove themselves in 2025. But with Johnson, Stevenson and Gordon, the Bears can at least be confident in their secondary.
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