6 Bears on the Trade Block Heading Into Training Camp

6. Jaylon Jones, cornerback

Every team needs good cornerback help. The Chicago Bears just so happen to have a lot of guys who have played and will be part of the team's plans heading into the 2024 season.

At the top of the depth chart, the Bears have some enviable youth and talent. Jaylon Johnson just got a new contract and is one of the top young corners in the game. Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon are two recent former second-round picks who make up the rest of the starting trio in Chicago's young, talented cornerback group.

Behind those guys on the depth chart right now, things are a little fuzzy. Terrell Smith played 377 snaps for the Bears' defense last year. Greg Stroman played 150 and Jaylon Jones played 148. The tough part of parting ways with any of these guys is not just going to deal with their contributions defensively, but on special teams as well.

Nobody on the Bears' entire roster played more special teams snaps than Jaylon Jones's 335 last season. He's obviously a critical player for this team in that phase of the game but there's always a chance for someone else to step up. And Jones could enhance his value by actually playing cornerback elsewhere in 2024. He played 464 defensive snaps with four starts in 2022 in Chicago and could interest teams as an option there.

Because of his contributions on special teams, it's probably going to be a little tough for the Bears to justify this move. When you look at assembling the best roster 1-53, a player like Jones is one of the better guys at the "bottom" of a roster you'll find around the league. But the Bears do have depth, and they might want to take advantage of his overall value by getting some type of draft compensation in return.

In other Bears news: