The Chicago Bears might be just about out of patience with one of their injury-riddled cornerbacks as they prepare to make their initial 53-man roster cuts.
For a second straight training camp, the Bears are dealing with cornerback injuries that threaten to leave them without key role players at the beginning of the new NFL season, including the nagging calf issue that has sidelined star nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon.
Further down the depth chart, though, the Bears also have 2023 fifth-round pick Terell Smith fighting to keep his roster chances alive despite another camp limited by injury.
And while he is back at practice this week, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin predicted it is too late for him to make up ground and claim one of the depth roles in Chicago’s secondary.
“Given the lack of a timeline for Kyler Gordon’s return from PUP, it’s possible the Bears move him to reserve/PUP during cuts, where he must remain for the first four games,” Cronin wrote in her final 53-man roster projection. “Muhammad has been the Bears’ nickel in Gordon’s absence.
“Manning snags the final spot over Beanie Bishop Jr., who will serve a suspension for the first three games, and Terell Smith, who continues to struggle to stay healthy.”
Injuries Have Ruined Terell Smith’s Chances in Chicago
Smith’s time with the Bears has taken an unfortunate turn over the past 13 months.
After showing promise as a rotational cornerback over his first two seasons, Smith came into his third training camp in 2025 with a chance to compete for a starting job on the boundary, especially with Jaylon Johnson starting camp on the non-football injury list.
During the second game of the 2025 preseason, though, Smith tore the patellar tendon in his left knee in a non-contact incident and had to be carted off the field. Ultimately, the Bears placed him on the season-ending injured reserve list before roster cuts.
Smith’s season-ending injury killed most of the enthusiasm surrounding him, but that did not deter the Bears from giving him one more chance to earn his keep in 2026. The door seemed open for him to win a depth spot, too, with Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and fourth-round rookie Malik Muhammad the only true roster locks beyond Gordon.
Alas, Smith sustained an unspecified injury on August 3 that forced him out of the day’s session and missed roughly the next three weeks of practice before returning August 25.
Bears Could Iron Out CB Depth in Preseason Finale
Smith is technically not out of the race just yet for the Bears. He and the other corners on the roster bubble will have one last chance to prove themselves when the Bears take the field for their preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, August 29.
Chicago could depend on those reps to make its final decision at the position, too.
The Bears are all but confirmed to keep Johnson, Stevenson and Muhammad on their initial 53-man roster. They could also activate Gordon from the PUP list and give him one of their active-roster spots if they believe he will return in the near future; though, it still makes more sense for them to leave him on the PUP to begin the regular season.
If Gordon starts the season on the injury list, though, the Bears will likely have at least two more depth spots to fill in their cornerback rotation — and maybe even three.
Cronin predicted that Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones and Manning — a holdover from their 2025 practice squad — will make the team over the rest of the field, but the Bears likely want one more look after Cincinnati picked on Manning in their second preseason game last weekend. Bishop could also angle for a spot despite his upcoming suspension.
The Bears must make their 53-man roster cuts before 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 30.
Bears Projected to Part Ways With Injury-Riddled CB at Roster Cuts