There’s been a lot to celebrate when it comes to the Chicago Bears’ secondary, despite the unit constantly being hit hard by the injury bug throughout the 2025 NFL season.
Veteran cornerback Nashon Wright, whom the Bears signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, is tied with safety Kevin Byard III for the NFL lead in interceptions (5). Speaking of Byard, he’s turned back the clock this season and is playing at a Pro Bowl level, which is what this team has needed with injuries at CB.
Then there’s mid-season addition C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who has been a playmaker and brought spark since making his Bears’ debut at the beginning of this month. However, on the other end of the spectrum, you have veteran cornerback Nick McCloud, who has been a huge disappointment after signing a one-year contract in the offseason.
Heading into the Bears’ Week 12 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, opposing QBs were completing 88.9% of their passes, with a 131.5 passer rating against McCloud. That’s not good, and something you have to believe the Steelers wanted to exploit in Sunday’s game.
Nick McCloud Is on Thin Ice After Week 12 Dud vs. Steelers
The Steelers did just that as McCloud allowed three targets (five targets) for 24 yards and a TD. He also had an ugly 111.7 rating, which is in line with what he’s done this season. According to Pro Football Focus, the veteran slot cornerback possessed a 53.1 coverage grade and a 53.2 overall grade.
Bears fans weren’t pleased with McCloud’s performance on Sunday and voiced their frustrations on social media. Luckily for fans in the Windy City, they won’t have to deal with the McCloud experience for much longer. The Bears hope to have Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon back on the field in the near future, which will give Chicago their starting slot and CB1.
However, in the case that Johnson is back, but not Gordon, the Bears can put Gardner-Johnson in the slot, who would offer more than Cloud.
In addition to Wright and Gardner-Johnson, the Bears also have Tyrique Stevenson, whose play in the secondary leaves much to be desired at times. But Bears fans would rather deal with him than McCloud, who doesn’t show little to no resistance when he’s out on the field.
At this point in the regular season, the Bears likely have their guys that they will roll with at CB when Johnson and Gordon return, and it won’t be McCloud. Wright is an interception machine and a matchup nightmare due to his size, while Gardner-Johnson can be utilized as a blitzer and has thrived in that role.
There aren’t many positives with McCloud’s game, making him the easiest guy to bench with reinforcements on the way.