The Chicago Bears are days away from their preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. But there are still some things to sort out ahead of their regular season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8.
The Bears turned a corner integrating Ben Johnson’s offense in a 38-0 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, but it appears the victory has come at a cost. While Chicago looked dominant on both sides of the ball, a defender who was starting to turn a corner of his own saw his season come to a sudden end due to an injury.
The #Bears lost CB Terell Smith for the season Sunday night when he suffered a torn patellar tendon, sources said. Smith was putting together a really good training camp and was pushing for a spot.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 20, 2025
What it means for the secondary & depth moving forward.https://t.co/2wmo9baA5E
Bears Lose CB Terrell Smith to Season-Ending Knee Injury
The Bears confirmed on Wednesday that cornerback Terrell Smith will miss the remainder of the 2025 season after suffering a torn patella tendon during Sunday’s win over the Bills. The injury occurred late in the second quarter when he was defending Bills receiver Kristian Wilkerson along the sideline and stopped his momentum after a strong training camp.
“I thought he was making a lot of progress,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. “The injuries, an unfortunate situation. He’s a quiet guy, but he comes to work every day and does his job. He’s been good for us to work with.”
A fifth-round pick out of Minnesota in the 2023 draft, Smith was looking to earn a spot on the back end of the Bears’ roster. The secondary has been a key need as Jaylon Johnson has not practiced after suffering a calf injury just before training camp and nickel corner Kyler Gordon has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Neither injury is expected to keep Johnson or Gordon out of the season opener against the Vikings but depth has been an issue. Biggs noted that Smith was on his way to claiming a spot, making four pass breakups during a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins. He also almost came away with a pick-six in the preseason opener if not for a drop.
Smith had positive grades from Pro Football Focus, posting the third-highest overall grade (69.9) and fourth-highest coverage grade (66.5) among corners that have played this preseason. With Smith on the shelf it opens the door for Josh Blackwell and Jeremiah Walker to make the team and potentially open the door for a trade ahead of Tuesday’s cutdown day.