The Chicago Bears are continuing to add to the secondary in training camp. The team signed veteran cornerback Beanie Bishop, cutting long snapper Luke Elkin in the process. The moves gives the team another name to compete for slot snaps.
Chicago Bears sign veteran Beanie Bishop
Bishop was a UDFA coming out of West Virginia when the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him. He won a starting spot in the slot during training camp, and logged 549 total snaps in his rookie season. However, Pittsburgh was not satisfied and moved on.
He caught on with the New Orleans Saints after training camp and spent his second NFL on their practice squad. The team signed him to a reserve deal, but recently let him go. He did not take long to catch back on in a camp, as the Bears added him to the cornerback mix.
His 2025 season suggests he is just a camp body, but his 2024 season suggests he could push for starting time, especially in a slot competition that is thin.
The Bears recently signed safety Xavier Woods in an attempt to move versatile defensive back Cam Lewis back into the slot. However, Lewis is not healthy now, and there are extra snaps available.
Right now, the competition is coming down to Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell, and rookie Malik Muhammad.
Jones is entering his fifth season, all with the Bears. The 2022 UDFA played 466 snaps in his rookie season but has not combined to match that in the three years since. He had 148 snaps in his second year, then 76 and 39 in the two seasons following that.
The Bears even released him and brought him back last season. So, he is not in a commanding lead for the job.
Still, Blackwell only had 260 career snaps despite being in the NFL just as long. He has special teams capabilities, but even when the Bears were thin in the slot last season, they looked outside the roster before starting Blackwell. He played three defensive snaps.
Lastly is Muhammad. Not only is he a rookie, but he is also converting inside to the slot after spending his college career as an outside cornerback. So, there is a transition. It opens the door for someone like Bishop to come in and quickly have a chance to climb the depth chart. It will be interesting to see if he can get on the field for the preseason game.
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