As the calendar flips to April, the Chicago Bears and the other 31 teams are starting to ramp up their NFL draft preparation, with free agency suddenly in the rearview mirror. In other words, veterans still without jobs might have an even tougher time getting signed.
Time running out in the offseason is not great news for a guy like veteran cornerback Nick McCloud, who likely won’t find his next opportunity towards the end of April.
Last year, McCloud signed a one-year deal with the Bears towards the end of March. However, based on the year he had in the Windy City, plus the remaining CB free agents and this year’s CB draft class, the veteran defender’s job prospects aren’t looking too great.
Nick McCloud Will Likely Remain Unemployed for Foreseeable Future
When the Bears signed the 27-year-old defensive back last offseason, they likely envisioned him playing a reserve role in the secondary. Before joining the Bears, McCloud started in 16 games across four seasons.
However, the Bears needed McCloud to start in five games because Kyler Gordon was banged up, having sustained multiple soft tissue injuries (hamstring, calf, and groin). Those injuries put him on injured twice, which wasn’t ideal for Chicago.
Not to mention, Jaylon Johnson was injured as well, forcing the veteran defender to be on the field more often, and opposing quarterbacks took advantage of that. McCloud had a 140.7 passer rating and gave up three receiving touchdowns.
To make matters worse for McCloud, he had a 51.8 coverage grade and a 44.3 run defense grade, according to Pro Football Focus. Simply put, the veteran cornerback was a liability no matter where he was on the field.
Now, the circumstances would’ve been different for McCloud if he played like Nahshon Wright, who gave up his fair share of big plays in the passing game. However, Wright was a turnover machine, recording five interceptions (one returned for a TD) and had two forced fumbles, which he parlayed into a contract with the New York Jets.
Alas, that wasn’t in the cards for McCloud. Now, he sits and waits to see which team will offer him a one-year deal to compete for a spot on their 53-man roster.
The free agent cornerback class is quite loaded, as Trevon Diggs, Marshon Lattimore, L’Jarius Sneed, Rasul Douglas, Adoree’ Jackson, and Avonte Maddox are all still waiting. One could argue that Douglas, Maddox, and Jackson would all be better than McCloud on a one-year flier based on their performances in 2025.
To complicate matters more for McCloud’s 2026 prospects, this year’s draft class at CB is talented and deep. Some teams would rather take a shot on an unproven rookie and put the development time in over a known commodity in McCloud.
Therefore, Bears fans will see how the next month pans out for McCloud, who will be looking to show that he’s better than how he played in 2025.