Chicago Bears hit with another troubling development in injury-riddled secondary

On Sunday night, the Chicago Bears will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with hopes of winning their 7th game of the year. This will be the last game before their Bye week, which is sorely needed right now for multiple reasons.

As we enter the halfway point in the 2026-27 NFL season, the Bears have been healthy, all things considered. When you compare their weekly injury reports to the rest of the league, it could certainly be worse.

Outside of starting QB Caleb Williams missing multiple games, most of the team has been available. However, Friday’s report revealed a new injury for a member of the Bears’ secondary. Tyrique Stevenson was listed as limited today with a thumb injury, as well as defensive back Malik Muhammad, who missed last week’s game with a toe injury. Injuries on the back half of the defense are starting to pile up.

#Bears have 3 players questionable for Sunday night

– CB Malik Muhammad (toe)
– CB Tyrique Stevenson (thumb)
– RB Kyle Monangai (toe)

They were limited today. This is a new injury for Stevenson, who was not on the report earlier in the week.

LT Theo Benedet is good to go.

— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) November 6, 2026

Stevenson has had an up-and-down year and lost snap time to Muhammad early in the season. However, hasn’t been as bad as veteran Jaylon Johnson, who was called out by Muhammad earlier this week.

Luckily for the Bears, they received some good news about running back Kyle Monangai: he returned to practice today.

Chicago Bears in danger of being without Tyrique Stevenson and Malik Muhammad for Week 9 matchup

Defensively, the Bears are expected to get better each week after the blockbuster trade they made last week, which netted them All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Reports say that GM Ryan Poles may not be done, as he could trade for another pass rusher before Tuesday’s deadline.

Some think he’ll inquire about some cornerback help as well. With the injuries to Muhammad and Stevenson combined with the shaky play of Jaylon Johnson, it makes sense for him to check the market.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba COOKED Jaylon Johnson.

Johnson had no idea where JSN was going.

pic.twitter.com/jiwlWY6zuB

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 3, 2026

Per Pro Football Focus, Johnson ranks 96th out of 103 cornerbacks with an overall grade of 40.9. His overall coverage grade is even worse, sitting at 36.8, which is 98th out of 103. It hasn’t been a great start for the veteran defensive back, and he’ll need to turn it around if he wants to see the field in the latter half of the season.

The return of Kyler Gordon has helped the back half immensely. You can tell that his leadership and IQ are exactly what the secondary needed, even if it’s from a nickel back. Many thought he wouldn’t play a snap this season, but he’s quickly turned into one of their best performers.

Hopefully, the bye week will allow the team to get healthier. They’ll need it for some of their tough NFC North battles in November and December as the division race becomes tighter and tighter.

More Chicago Bears: Malik Muhammad calls out Jaylon Johnson’s poor play in the first half of the season

The post Chicago Bears hit with another troubling development in injury-riddled secondary appeared first on ChiCitySports.