Chicago Bears urged to make blockbuster trade for star cornerback

The Chicago Bears have begun their season, winning in spectacular fashion. Ben Johnson’s offense put up 59 points on the road in Charlotte, as the Bears took down the Panthers 59-37.

The alarming part of that sentence? Chicago’s defense gave up 37 points to Bryce Young.

No one was expecting this Bears defense to be great, but for them to look this bad in the first week is definitely cause for concern.

And yes, it’s a long season. The overreactions of Week 1 are common across the league. The Bears are set to host the Minnesota Vikings next week, who are coming off an impressive victory of their own, defeating the Green Bay Packers in an electric comeback. It’s likely that veteran QB Carson Wentz will get the start after Kyler Murray exited the game early with a concussion.

Rushing the quarterback is the clear concern of this unit – but what about the shaky secondary?

Even though he may be back soon, Kyler Gordon has been out for weeks. Jaylon Johnson looked pretty rusty. Rookie DBs Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad looked great in their debuts, but relying on that for the entire season is irresponsible. Could the Bears be in the market for a trade?

One cornerback who has been named in trade talks is Pittsburgh Steelers DB Joey Porter Jr.

2025 Joey Porter Jr. pic.twitter.com/0McbZMSoIR

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) August 26, 2026

Porter has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL over the past few seasons and could fit this defense perfectly. He excels in press-man situations, limiting opposing quarterbacks to a low passer rating and ranking near the top in preventing completions.

The 26-year-old has been a staple on the seemingly always-good Steelers’ defense, but is in the midst of a contract dispute at the moment. The Steelers do not negotiate re-signings during the season, which points to a Porter trade becoming very likely.

The question is simple: Do the Chicago Bears entertain this possibility? One ESPN analyst believes they should.

ESPN’s Ben Solak: The Chicago Bears should call the Steelers about a trade for Joey Porter Jr.

The Chicago Bears have their sights set on a deep playoff run this season. If Week 1 is any indication, their offense surely has enough to do it.

However, the same cannot be said about their defense.

ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak released an article today on some hot topics around the league. That included the status of Joey Porter Jr. He mentioned that the Bears should be the team to make the move, or at the very least, make a call.

“I might think … that the Bears should trade for Joey Porter Jr. The Steelers’ corner sat out Week 1 as he and the team continue to stare each other down amid contract extension talks. If the Steelers really do want to trade him — and my sense so far is that they don’t — I think the Bears are the right team to make the call. Chicago has the future cap space necessary to give Porter a big long-term deal and should do anything and everything it can to build a halfway-decent defense around this stupendous offense.”

Funny enough, when the Bears traded for Steelers WR Chase Claypool in 2023, they sent their own 2023 second-round draft pick to Pittsburgh. That pick ended up becoming Joey Porter Jr.

Even though it went down as one of Chicago’s worst trades in recent history, it clearly shows the relationship between the two organizations. The Bears moved QB Justin Fields to the Steelers a few years ago as well, so these two sides can get a deal done if need be.

Why does Pittsburgh want to move on from Porter?

To me, I don’t know. You bring back a veteran in Aaron Rodgers to make a Super Bowl push, but won’t pay your young, number one corner? It doesn’t make a ton of sense. Porter hasn’t contributed very much in the turnover department (just 3 INTs) in 3 seasons, but you can’t always judge a defensive back on stats. Maybe the two sides are far apart on money, which is common in today’s NFL.

If the Bears can swing it, I don’t see it being a bad idea. He’ll likely warrant a few mid-round picks, maybe a third and a fifth. The Steelers would need a replacement, and maybe that’s where Tyrique Stevenson comes into play. He hasn’t exactly been worth his second-round selection to this point.

Time will tell, but if Porter is moved, it could happen at any moment.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-bears-joey-porter-jr-trade/