Chicago Bears 2026 training camp preview: Secondary

Name: "Expect A Much Different Offense!" CHGO's Greg Braggs Previews Bears Camp
Uploaded: 2026-07-23T15:26:36-05:00
Description: CHGO’s Greg Braggs joins Fox Chicago's Devan Kaney on Chicago Sports Tonight to preview Bears Training Camp! Greg breaks down Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson’s Year 2 offense, the underrated position battle at center, and whether the Bears have enough pass-rush depth at edge

"Expect A Much Different Offense!" CHGO's Greg Braggs Previews Bears Camp

CHGO’s Greg Braggs joins Fox Chicago's Devan Kaney on Chicago Sports Tonight to preview Bears Training Camp! Greg breaks down Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson’s Year 2 offense, the underrated position battle at center, and whether the Bears have enough pass-rush depth at edge

Chicago Bears training camp officially opens at the end of July, with rookies reporting first and veterans reporting soon after.

FOX Chicago takes a look at the Bears’ secondary, which saw the most overhaul of any position on the Bears' roster during the 2025 offseason but gained a heap of potential in the process.

Here’s a look at the Bears’ secondary ahead of training camp.

Bears Secondary Depth Chart

Left CB – 1. Tyrique Stevenson, 2. Malik Muhammad

SS – 1. Dillon Thieneman, 2. Elijah Hicks

FS – 1. Coby Bryant, 2. Cam Lewis

Right CB – 1. Jaylon Johnson, No. 2 Terrell Smith

Nickle CB – 1. Kyler Gordon, 2. Josh Blackwell

TBD – Jaylon Jones, Dontae Manning, Dallis Flowers, Gervarrius Owens

What we know:

This is where Bears general manager Ryan Poles did the most work.

This offseason, the Bears let Nahshon Wright, Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker walk in free agency. In their stead, the Bears signed Coby Bryant Cam Lewis while drafting Dillon Thieneman in the first round and Malik Muhammad in the fourth round. The Bears are turning to their veteran players to not only mentor some of the young draftees but to earn their spots.

Jaylon Johnson remains the top corner. Tyrique Stevenson is coming off a good, not great, year but will have Muhammad nipping at his heels. Kyler Gordon is the player the Bears have invested the most into outside of Johnson but Lewis, who can play safety and corner, is on board as insurance. Bryant replaces Byard as the ballhawking safety who can double as a leadership voice.

Although Wright is gone, Terell Smith, who missed all of 2025 with a torn patellar tendon, should be back healthy and could fill a needed reserve cornerback spot.

What we don't know:

Thieneman was drafted as the safety of the future with Bryant mentoring him, it remains to be seen if he'll win the starting safety job quickly in camp or if Lewis will take hold of that job early on.

The same goes for Stevenson. Muhammad was very open about earning a starting job as quickly as possible. It's one of the reasons the Bears gravitated toward Muhammad in the pre-draft process.

"That's just kind of how this kid's wired. He’s hard-wired to play in the NFL," Bears national scout John Syty said. "His goal was to get to college, do three years, get out and get to our level."

Health is a big fact of the matter, too.

Gordon and Johnson missed significant time last season with injuries. Their health is paramount to the success of the secondary as a whole.

Big picture view:

The Bears' secondary had its fair share of overhaul. That might not be the worst thing in the long run.

Wright and Brisker were fan favorites, but it can't be overlooked how comfortable the Bears were to move on from them. The same goes for Byard. Bryant is plenty experienced as a player who just won a Super Bowl and Thieneman has an impressive college resume behind him.

Getting Bryant, 27, and Thieneman, 21, up to speed as the starting tandem is the primary objective for the Bears in training camp. The cornerbacks will sort themselves out. Johnson and Gordon are dependable talents, given that they stay healthy. Stevenson is nearing the end of his rookie deal, too. If he performs well, he'll have a chance to earn a second contract. If not, Muhammad would be itching to take that spot. Same goes for Smith, who would have had a chance to compete with Wright for the open cornerback spot when Johnson was hurt.

The onus is on defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator Al Harris to sort it out. Considering how much magic he worked with Wright and others in his first year in Chicago, Bears fans would do well to put their trust in Harris.