The Bears are 3-1 and have stacked back-to-back wins without Caleb Williams, which has put a spotlight on Ben Johnson’s group for all the right reasons. But if you zoom in on Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, the contract-year lens tells a different story for a few players who are trying to shape their next payday.
Tyrique Stevenson, in particular, is not making a strong case to stick around. The fourth-year corner had a rough day against the Jets, starting with an interception he should have had early in the game and followed by a 58-yard touchdown catch by Isaiah Williams on a play where Stevenson got beat. Through four games, he has just one pass breakup and is allowing the highest opposing quarterback rating of his career at 137.5.
Roschon Johnson, meanwhile, at least got on the field. After D’Andre Swift lost a fumble for the second straight week, Swift was sent to the bench and Kyle Monangai took over as the lead back.
Johnson then got a small role of his own, carrying four times for 16 yards and adding one catch for seven yards. It wasn’t a headline performance, but it was notable because it was his first time getting touches this season.
At this point, it’s safe to say Johnson will be elsewhere next year.
The Bears’ trade for Clark Phillips III is also raising eyebrows. Before the season, Chicago sent Gervon Dexter Sr. to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round pick and Phillips, but after four games Phillips has played zero defensive snaps and just 14 on special teams.
Dexter has already signed an extension in Atlanta, which only fuels the question of whether Chicago would have been better off letting him leave and possibly collecting a compensatory pick higher than a fifth. Phillips was expected to add slot depth, and with injuries in the secondary plus Stevenson’s struggles, it’s fair to wonder why Dennis Allen hasn’t found a role for him.
Garrett Bradbury is looking like exactly what he’s been billed as: a one-year rental. He has had his share of issues with penalties, and when that isn’t the problem, he’s getting driven backward by the defender across from him.
Against the Jets, Bradbury gave up three pressures, two hurries and a quarterback hit on Tyson Bagent. The Bears’ offensive line has been strong enough overall to hide some of that, but there’s no reason to expect Bradbury back next season.
In Other News...
Bizarre Soldier Field Incident Involving Bears Legend Raises Big Questions
After the Bears win over the Jets, a strange scene unfolded at Soldier Field involving former linebacker Otis Wilson near the suite-level elevators. Witnesses said Wilson got onto an elevator reserved for media even after being told not to, and the situation escalated into a scuffle with a female security worker in an area that usually stays well out of the postgame spotlight.
Wilson was later seen conscious and alert as staff helped him, and the Chicago Police Department said it had no calls or case reports tied to the incident. Even without an official report, the episode raised plenty of questions about what happened in the hallway after the game and why a routine postgame flow turned physical. [Read more 🡒]
DAndre Swift Just Got A Bears Warning He Couldnt Ignore
DAndre Swifts Week 4 afternoon against the Jets turned into a reminder that production only goes so far if ball security becomes a problem. Swift was pulled after a fumble, with Roschon Johnson stepping in and handling most of the carries from there, and even as head coach Ben Johnson downplayed the idea that the mistake sent Swift to the sideline, the sequence made the message hard to miss.
Swift has still put together strong rushing numbers early in the season, but the Bears cannot keep ignoring the turnovers if they keep showing up. With Johnson getting more work and the backfield role suddenly looking less settled, Swifts margin for error is shrinking fast unless he cleans up the issue that put his playing time in question. [Read more 🡒]
Rome Odunze Just Sent The Response Bears Fans Needed
Ben Johnson did not have to spend much time unpacking Rome Odunzes drop against the Eagles. The Bears coach made it clear afterward that he did not need to say anything more, because Odunze already understood the most basic assignment for a receiver: catch the ball. For a young player trying to settle into an important role, it was the kind of public reset that could have lingered into the next game.
Instead, Odunze answered in a way Bears fans wanted to see. Against the Jets, he caught six of seven targets for 94 yards and looked far more settled, even taking a hard hit while still hanging onto the ball. It was a needed bounce-back for a receiver whose next step has mattered to Chicago all season, and it offered a cleaner picture of where his game stands after a rough moment. [Read more 🡒]