It’s been an unusually busy morning in Bears land for a Wednesday in August, first with the news of Tyson Bagent’s contract extension and now with a report from the Tribune’s Brad Biggs regarding cornerback Terell Smith.
According to Biggs, the 26-year-old cornerback suffered a torn patellar tendon during Sunday night’s preseason victory over the Buffalo Bills and will miss the entire 2025 season.
What does the Terell Smith injury mean for the Chicago Bears’ secondary in 2025?
Smith, a fifth-round selection out of Minnesota by Poles and his staff in 2023, was thrust into a more prominent role in his second season thanks to Tyrique Stevenson’s regrettable role in the Fail Mary. Smith didn’t miss when presented with an opportunity to earn a more significant role in Chicago’s secondary.
Before Week 8, Smith played one defensive snap and was inactive for three games. After Week 8, he averaged 23 snaps per contest and logged a season-high 47 snaps against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12. In Week 9, when he started instead of Stevenson in Arizona, Smith recorded a stellar 91.4 coverage grade at PFF and logged a pass breakup. He recorded his first interception in Week 11 against the Green Bay Packers.
Smith’s workload last season was limited to 207 snaps, which ranked 134th among 223 cornerbacks at PFF. But his overall grade of 78.5 would have ranked eighth among cornerbacks who played at least 200 snaps during the 2024 season. Smith was stellar in a limited role in Chicago’s Week 18 win against the Packers and allowed opposing quarterbacks a 63.8 passer rating in 121 coverage snaps in 2024.
There was some thought heading into training camp that Smith could compete with Tyrique Stevenson for the starting cornerback job opposite Jaylon Johnson, but that fizzled out pretty quickly with Stevenson playing well during camp, and veteran newcomers like Nahshon Wright and Nick McCloud playing well.
Smith’s injury is undoubtedly a blow to Chicago’s depth at the position. It does raise some concerns for the early part of the schedule, with Jaylon Johnson still sidelined by an injury. Still, in the overall scheme of things, it looked like Smith was destined for a rotational role at best this season under new Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen, who likes length in his defensive backs.
Losing a reliable depth piece like Smith isn’t optimal, but it’s not the end of the world for this defense. If anything, the injury clouds Smith’s future in Chicago, with this season being the final year of his four-year rookie deal.
Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Terell Smith (32) celebrates his interception against the Green Bay Packers during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn ImagesHence then, the article about bears cornerback terell smith will miss the 2025 season was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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