The Chicago Bears face a real depth concern at cornerback heading into the NFL’s cutdown deadline on Sunday, and general manager Ryan Poles may need to act fast.

Both Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson suffered injuries during Thursday’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans, raising more questions about Chicago’s secondary depth and whether Poles will make a move via trade or an addition off the waiver wire.

It’s worth noting Stevenson did return to the field briefly, appearing to show the coaching staff he was healthy before they pulled him back off. Johnson, however, went to the sideline for the rest of the day with no pads on, standing next to defensive backs coach Al Harris. Neither injury looks like a long-term concern, especially looking ahead to Week 1, but the depth behind those two is still a legitimate problem.

With the cutdown deadline approaching, here are four options the Bears could explore to shore up the position.

Kristian Fulton, Kansas City Chiefs

The first name to watch is Kristian Fulton. Poles has a history of doing deals with his former team, and Fulton could be available. The former Titans second-round pick signed with Kansas City last year on a two-year, $20 million deal, but he’s facing stiff competition.

A veteran cornerback corps featuring a recent first-round pick has stood out for the Chiefs this preseason. That logjam could make Fulton a trade or cut candidate worth monitoring.

Fulton is a physical outside corner and fits well in a man coverage scheme. He would be perfect working with Dennis Allen’s unit and adds a lot as a run defender as well, which is something Ben Johnson wants to see out of his “little guys” on defense.

Joey Porter Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers

The biggest name on this list is still Joey Porter Jr. The Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback is entering the final year of his rookie deal and looking to sign a long-term contract.

Pittsburgh might honestly sign him to one after freeing up significant cap space with a recent restructure involving WR DK Metcalf. This remains a long shot for the Bears, but Porter would be an absolute home run addition to Chicago’s secondary on a long-term deal.

In this long-shot scenario, the Bears would have to make a decision on Jaylon Johnson’s future. Acquiring someone like Porter and signing him to a long-term deal would signal the end of Johnson’s time in Chicago after the 2026 season. That would be a radical move to make, especially without seeing how a healthy Jaylon Johnson looks this year.

Josh Newton, Cincinnati Bengals

John Sheeran of A to Z Sports Cincinnati provided a tip on this one. The Bears just had a joint practice and preseason game with the Bengals last week, giving the coaching staff a chance to see Josh Newton in action firsthand.

The former fifth-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft has eight starts under his belt, but he seems to be falling out of favor in Cincinnati and could be on the move.

Newton would be a logical player for the Bears to target that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg in terms of trade value and contract price. He also brings outside/inside versatility to give Dennis Allen a versatile depth piece at either position to integrate.

Reddy Steward, Dallas Cowboys

Reddy Steward already has a Chicago connection. He was with the Bears as a rookie before following former coach Matt Eberflus to Dallas. Steward has the ability to play in the nickel and could be a serviceable depth addition if he ends up hitting the waiver wire.

I’ve always been a fan of Steward’s game. He’s a solid run defender and still a young player that needs to develop more in coverage. A reunion in Chicago would give the Bears a player with experience at nickel to hold down the fort while Kyler Gordon is sidelined and allow rookie Malik Muhammad II to go back outside at his more comfortable position.

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The Bears have the talent at the top of their cornerback room, but Thursday’s joint practice proved how quickly depth becomes a crisis if Johnson or Stevenson were to go down this season.

With the cutdown deadline looming, Poles has options. Whether he pulls the trigger on a trade or waits for the waiver wire to populate, cornerback is the position to watch over the next few days.

If the Bears don’t make a move and roll with their current options, I would like to see Muhammad start working more outside and Cam Lewis drop down into the nickel spot. Muhammad was at his best on the outside during Thursday’s joint practice and continuing to train him there could give me more confidence in the outside depth options.