The Chicago Bears' cornerback situation may have officially reached desperation status. Jaylon Johnson is banged up, Tyrique Stevenson has missed time, and Kyler Gordon's situation remains unclear.
They were already thin in the secondary before losing offseason addition Coby Bryant for most — if not all — of the season. Even with the addition of Clark Phillips III in the Gervon Dexter trade, the secondary is still thin on the ground. That's why they may have no choice but to break the glass in case of an emergency.
Marshon Lattimore is working his way back from a season-ending injury, but he might be inching closer to a return, given that he got hurt in November. Given the Bears' lack of proven depth and underwhelming options, he makes sense to a degree.
The Bears have obvious ties to Marshon Lattimore
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen coached Lattimore during his best years. Of course, he's no longer the All-Pro-caliber shutdown corner he was with the New Orleans Saints, but his familiarity with the system should help him get up to speed as a plug-and-play option.
Granted, Lattimore will always come with durability concerns, and he's struggled when healthy in the past two seasons. That said, beggars can't be choosers, and there aren't many options still up for grabs at this point in the offseason.
Lattimore is a fearless competitor, and now that he's in the backend of his career, he can take Malik Muhammad under his wing, polish him, and mold him into the star the Bears hope and know he can become.
The Bears can use him as insurance if Johnson and/or Stevenson struggle or get hurt. They don't need him to be a superstar, just a placeholder and rotational piece, assuming he can still play at a somewhat decent level.
General manager Ryan Poles missed multiple opportunities to address the team's glaring defensive needs this offseason. He aced things in the NFL Draft with Muhammad and Jordan van den Berg, but clearly, he could've done much more in free agency, even if he's not to blame for Bryant's injury.
Chicago is inching in the right direction by doing things like acquiring Phillips, but he Bears know they will have a huge bullseye on their backs after their breakout campaign in 2025. No one will overlook them, knowing what Ben Johnson's offense can do and the myriad of playmakers at their disposal.
However, they can't just expect to outscore their opposition; they also need to get stops. And with a banged-up secondary and not many options to consider, perhaps a Saints reunion with a former star might be a bit more than a band-aid.
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