Feb. 11, 2026, 2:33 p.m. CT
The Chicago Bears’ cornerback position was heavily impacted by injuries during the 2025 season.Nahshon Wright emerged as a Pro Bowl player, leading the NFL with eight takeaways.Key players Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon missed significant time due to injuries.The overall position group received a C+ grade, with the passing defense noted as a weakness.
The Chicago Bears had a magical 2025 season under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, where they went from worst to first with an 11-6 record, NFC North title and the franchise’s first playoff win in 15 years. And there’s no denying that the future is bright.
While the Bears exceeded expectations in their first year under Johnson, there’s still plenty of work to be done with this roster, most notably on defense. After overhauling the offense in the trenches and at skill positions, the focus shifts to the defense where the hope is general manager Ryan Poles does the same to round out this unit under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and form a complete team with a top-five offense.
Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position through the 2025 Bears and grading every player. Next up, we’re looking at cornerback, which was devastated by injuries this season but also saw the emergence of some newcomers, including Pro Bowler Nahshon Wright.
Nahshon Wright
2025 stats: 80 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions, 11 pass breakups, 1 touchdown, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 QB hit
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Nahshon Wright was a revelation during an injury-riddled season where the Bears played most of the year without Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. Wright, who started 16 regular-season games, was far from perfect in coverage, but he was also the most impactful player at taking the ball away. Wright led the NFL with eight takeaways, including five interceptions with one returned for a touchdown. With Johnson sidelined, Wright was Chicago’s top cornerback, and his impressive performance earned him his first career Pro Bowl honors. Wright’s slated to hit the free agent market next month, but he made it clear he’d like to remain with the Bears. We’ll see if that happens.
Grade: B+
2025 stats: 7 tackles, 1 interception, 2 pass breakups
Jaylon Johnson’s 2025 season was doomed from the start after he suffered a groin injury while training ahead of training camp. Not only did he miss the entire summer session and preseason, when he did make his return in Week 2, he only lasted one half before suffering another groin injury that held him out until November. When Johnson did return to the field (he played a total of seven games in 2025), it was clear that he wasn’t healthy but trying everything to be there for his team amid the playoff hunt. Johnson admitted that he wasn’t 100 percent, and that it was going to take time, but he did improve and looked like himself at times during the final stretch of the season and the postseason.
Grade: C+
Kyler Gordon
2025 stats: 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 fumble recovery
Like Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon missed most of the 2025 season due to injury. In fact, he spent two different stints on injured reserve (at the start of 2025 and then midway through). It was disappointing after the Bears rewarded Gordon with a lucrative three-year, $40 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid slot cornerback at the time. When on the field, Gordon has been a game-changer for this defense. But that was the issue as he appeared in just three games this season. With that in mind, it’s hard to truly evaluate his performance. But he’s going to need to focus on conditioning this offseason with the hopes of playing his first full season in Year 5.
Grade: INCOMPLETE
Tyrique Stevenson
2025 stats: 49 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 10 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries
If not for injury to Jaylon Johnson that held him out for more than half the season, former second-round pick Tyrique Stevenson would’ve lost his starting job for the whole year. The start to the 2025 season was rough for Stevenson, who was picked apart by Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown in Week 2. Not to mention, newcomer Nahshon Wright had been outplaying him even dating back to the summer. Stevenson has been a solid cornerback since being drafted, but he did struggle at times which makes you wonder if Chicago would elect to re-sign Nahshon Wright or head into 2026 with Jaylon Johnson and Stevenson as their starting outside cornerbacks.
Grade: C+
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
2025 stats: 51 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, 3 sacks, 5 QB hits
With Kyler Gordon missing most of the season and Nick McCloud failing to shore up the slot, the Bears signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson off the street to serve as the nickel cornerback for most of the season. After failing to succeed with the Houston Texans for three games, Gardner-Johnson made an immediate impact for Chicago with 15 tackles and three sacks in his first two games against the Bengals and Giants. He also brought an intensity and physicality to the defense that was felt during his 10-game stint.
Grade: B-
Nick McCloud
2025 stats: 27 tackles, 2 pass breakups
With the Bears ravaged by injuries, Nick McCloud played more than anyone would’ve liked or expected given the circumstances. McCloud played 15 games, including four starts, and his playing time kicked in immediately after Kyler Gordon started the season with a hamstring injury before two bouts on injured reserve. McCloud struggled in place of Gordon, which was a big reason why Chicago reached out to C.J. Gardner-Johnson to fill in that slot cornerback role. But injuries across the board at cornerback resulted in McCloud’s extended playing time as a primary reserve.
Grade: C-
Josh Blackwell
2025 stats: 9 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 fumbles
Josh Blackwell appeared in 15 games for Chicago, but he primarily served as a special teams specialist. That’s exactly why he inked a two-year, $5 million contract during the offseason, becoming one of the highest-paid specialists. But, outside of that, he wasn’t someone who was asked to do a whole lot on defense.
Grade: INCOMPLETE
Jaylon Jones
2025 stats: 16 tackles, 1 forced fumble
Like Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones wasn’t asked to do a lot on defense. He served primarily as a special teams contributor and stepped in when needed on defense. Although, he did force a fumble during a Week 8 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Grade: INCOMPLETE
Position grade: C+
The cornerbacks faced an uphill battle before the regular season even began as they were ravaged by injuries to key contributors like Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and Terell Smith. So, all things considered, it wasn’t too bad of a showing considering Chicago had to rely on two unproven commodities in Nahshon Wright (who made the Pro Bowl) and Tyrique Stevenson before Johnson and Gordon returned, albeit hampered by the fact that they weren’t healthy, and that impacted their play. C.J. Gardner-Johnson was a solid addition in the middle of the season after Gordon went down. Overall, the passing defense was a huge weakness and there needs to be improvement. But it could’ve been much worse.
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