The Chicago Bears have to make a lot of tough decisions to trim the roster down to 53 players, and one involves a talented cornerback who’s dealt with injuries since being drafted in the fifth round back in 2023 — cornerback Terell Smith.
Smith, 27, has struggled to stay on the field, dealing with a multitude of injuries, including an ankle sprain, illness, hip issues, and a torn patellar tendon, which resulted in him missing the entire 2025 season.
He showed a lot of promise early on, but could never get rid of the injury bug. As a result, the Bears have cut ties with him, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
“#Bears are releasing CB Terell Smith, former 5th round pick,” Biggs tweeted out on August 30th. “Perhaps expendable after trade landed them Clark Phillips. Smith had 2 pass breakups last night in Tennessee.”
Bears Move on From Terell Smith, Quickly Add Another Cornerback
One reason the Bears were quick to move on from Terell Smith after the final preseason game is likely due to the trade that happened a few hours prior to his release.
Chicago traded defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr., who was entering the final year of his rookie deal, to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a fifth-round pick and cornerback Clark Phillips III.
There were trade conversations surrounding Dexter for a while now, and he lands in a new home with a familiar general manager in Ian Cunningham, who was the Bears’ assistant GM the past few seasons.
The Bears now look to give Phillips a fresh start, who was a fourth-round selection by the Falcons in the same draft that Chicago took Smith in the fifth round.
Clark has 28 career games with 63 total tackles, two forced fumbles, one interception, and 10 pass deflections.
Brad Biggs Comments on the Kyler Gordon Situation
As for another storyline in the Bears’ cornerback room, it’s been a mystery why Kyler Gordon has been out for so long.
Especially with someone like left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, who suffered a ruptured patellar tendon just seven months ago, already returning to practice.
Brad Biggs commented on Gordon, saying, “As best I can tell, Gordon will remain on the PUP list when the initial roster is formed Sunday. It’s impossible to even speculate what kind of timeline there could be for him actually playing football, and Ryan Poles needs to explain the ‘delay’ in getting Gordon going a year after he missed 14 regular-season games.”
However, cutting Gordon seems like a long shot given the financials. Biggs also added something interesting, he added that, “Teammates have described Gordon’s situation as ‘bizarre.'”
Will Gordon even play in 2026?
If not, maybe Clark Phillips III will rotate with someone like Cam Lewis or rookie Malik Muhammad at the nickel position, where Gordon has played since being drafted in the second round back in 2022.
Bears Cut Ties With Former Fifth-Round Cornerback Amid Trade News