The Bears have done enough on defense to keep things afloat, but that unit still has a couple of shaky spots that can’t be ignored. Dennis Allen has earned credit for the way his group has held up, yet Chicago is still searching for answers on the back end.
Kyler Gordon has come back with real impact, even putting up 3.0 sacks in limited action. The problem is what’s happening outside of him. Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson have both struggled badly, and that leaves the secondary exposed.
That’s where a trade for Chargers corner Donte Jackson starts to make sense. Los Angeles is sitting at 0-6, and if the fire sale gets underway, Jackson should be one of the players available. Chicago ought to be ready to pounce.
Jackson is on a cheap, expiring contract, which gives the Chargers every reason to move him while they still can. He also shouldn’t require a massive return, even if more than one team is likely to check in.
On the field, he’s done enough this season to look like a useful addition. Jackson has played in four games, starting three, and has posted eight tackles, including six solo stops, along with one tackle for loss, two passes defensed and one forced fumble. Opposing quarterbacks have completed only seven passes against him, for 14.7 yards per catch.
He’d fit what the Bears need in the secondary. Jackson has long had a reputation as a ball-hawk, and Al Harris should be able to help maximize that trait. Harris has a track record of getting defensive backs to create turnovers, and Jackson fits that mold.
The financial piece matters too. Tyrique Stevenson is headed for free agency and, according to the source material, won’t be brought back. Jaylon Johnson is still on the roster for the time being, so adding a corner on a short-term, team-friendly deal gives Chicago more flexibility than forcing a bigger, longer commitment.
Jackson doesn’t need to be a star for this to work. The Bears could pair him with rookie Malik Muhammad in Stevenson’s spot, and only lean more heavily on him if Johnson keeps having problems in coverage.
With Caleb Williams back, Chicago’s offense has the look of a group that could become one of the league’s most dangerous. But “fine” on defense won’t be enough when the games get tighter and the margins shrink. Standing pat at the deadline would leave a clear weakness untouched.
The Bears should be aggressive and take advantage of teams that are already looking ahead to the 2027 NFL Draft. If they’re not going to make a huge splash, they still need to target someone real - and Donte Jackson fits that description.
In Other News...
Caleb Williams Leap Just Put Ben Johnson In A Tough Spot
Caleb Williams is making the Bears passing game look far more stable than it did a year ago. Through three starts in 2026, he leads the NFL with a 72.5% completion rate, and he just posted a franchise-record 83.3% completion in a recent game, a sign of how comfortable hes becoming in Chicagos offense.
The problem for Ben Johnson is that the rest of the attack is not nearly as settled. Injuries to key offensive players are already forcing the coaching staff to think carefully about how much weight to put on Williams arm and how to keep the offense balanced when the supporting cast is less certain. The quarterbacks leap is real, but the Bears still have to figure out how to make it hold up around him. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Has Put The Bears In A Real MVP Debate
A few weeks into the season, Caleb Williams has done enough to put himself in an unexpected conversation. Even with the stop-and-start nature of his year, his play when healthy has been strong enough that ESPNs Ben Solak is arguing the Bears quarterback belongs in the MVP discussion, which is not where anyone expected this to be headed so early.
The catch is obvious enough: Williams has not had the kind of uninterrupted availability that usually drives an award case, and that can matter just as much as production. Solak points to Jalen Hurts 2022 race as a reminder of how missed time can tilt the vote, even when a quarterbacks performance is good enough to keep him in the mix, and that is the tension hanging over Williams now. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Are Suddenly Linked To A Defensive Move Fans Will Debate
The Bears are expected to be buyers at the trade deadline, and that has quickly put their defense under the microscope. One name that has surfaced in the conversation is Tennessee Titans lineman Jeffery Simmons, a high-end defensive player who would immediately change the conversation around Chicagos front.
It is not hard to see why the fit gets attention, since Simmons has the kind of profile that could bolster a defensive scheme looking for more impact up front. The question is whether Chicago would be willing to pay the kind of price such a move would demand, with both draft assets and salary-cap flexibility hanging over any possible deal. [Read more 🡒]