Chicago Bears Moving On From Free Agent CB Stephon Gilmore?

Are the Chicago Bears moving on from free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore?

The Chicago Bears clearly have a ton of interest in free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore. They were directly connected to him as far back as a month ago, and the reports connecting the two sides have only heated up in the last few days.

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Gilmore is almost inarguably the top cornerback in this free agent class. The Bears have a massive hole at the cornerback position that Gilmore would fill extremely well. They also have plenty of cap space to send his way. The interest between the two sides has always made a ton of sense.

The former Buffalo Bills star has always seemed to be the Bears’ preferred choice at cornerback. However, the two sides may have hit a snag in their negotiations. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, the Bears have been reaching out to other top cornerbacks on the market.

This is probably just the Bears looking for leverage against Gilmore. He is the top cornerback on the market and is going to get paid whether the Bears are the ones to open the checkbook or not. However, the Bears need to be responsible with their spending. They have already dug themselves a hole, spending too much on Gilmore is only going to make things worse.

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Cole mentions that the Bears are calling other top cornerbacks, but he does not give names. A.J. Bouye is probably a safe bet to be in that group, as is Logan Ryan. Bouye was fantastic for the Houston Texans last season, but it is the only year he has played many defensive snaps.

The former Texan is undoubtedly an extremely talented player, but he is risky. Is he just a one-hit wonder? It is impossible to know for sure. Gilmore has a much longer track record and is clearly the safer player.

As for Ryan, no thanks. He played well with the New England Patriots, but his success has always come out of the slot and usually with help. Ryan is going to get $10+ million on the open market, but whoever makes that deal is going to regret it. Hopefully, it won’t be the Bears.

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In the end, I imagine that the Gilmore and the Bears will come to an agreement. That being said, the Bears do not need to panic. Sure, cornerback is a huge need, but the position is also extremely deep in the draft. Getting Gilmore or Bouye would be great, but if they lose out, it is not the end of the world. Ryan Pace and the Chicago Bears need to hold firm here.