The Chicago Bears just bolstered their secondary and special teams unit in one fell swoop, announcing they have signed cornerback Nick McCloud to a one-year deal.
McCloud, known for his versatility and special teams acumen, brings experience from previous stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
A versatile vet in the secondary, McCloud is expected to provide depth behind starters Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and nickel corner Kyler Gordon. He has experience playing both on the outside and in the slot, which is nice, but his primary role will likely be on special teams.
McCloud’s extensive special teams experience — he participated in at least 46% of his team’s special teams snaps in each of the last three seasons — makes him a no-brainer for that role.
More Background on New Chicago Bears CB Signing Nick McCloud
Entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2021, McCloud signed with the Buffalo Bills before getting released during final roster cuts. He landed with the Bengals shortly after that, seeing his first NFL action. Cincinnati released him later that season.
In 2022, McCloud joined the Giants, where he played 14 games and started eight. He finished with 43 tackles, seven passes defended and 1.5 sacks.
The following year, he appeared in all 17 games for the Giants, netting 28 total tackles, two passes defended and his first career interception.
In 2024, McCloud split time between the Giants and the 49ers. In November of 2024, the Giants waived him in a relatively surprising move after he started five games for them. After his release, he initially joined the 49ers’ practice squad before being promoted to their active roster. He appeared in eight games for the Niners, contributing 11 tackles.
Over his four-year career, he has appeared in 48 games, making 16 starts, and has accumulated 84 tackles, 10 passes defensed, an interception, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
McCloud Should Be Huge Asset for ST Coach Richard Hightower
Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, known for his emphasis on aggressive and creative playcalling, is likely to utilize McCloud’s extensive special teams experience in myriad ways.
McCloud’s addition is the latest in a string of moves seemingly designed to strengthen Chicago’s special teams corps. Chicago also re-signed both Josh Blackwell and Travis Homer, and also brought in Pro Bowl return man Devin Duvernay. In McCloud, they’ll be getting a dawg.
“It’s not really hard for me to wake up with a chip on my shoulder,” the former UDFA said in August of 2024, via Giants Wire. “But I feel like I’m moving past that point of just trying to prove people wrong. Now I’m to the point where the people who are in my corner, I’m just going to try to prove them right. So that’s just how I feel.”
“I wake up every day feeling like I’ve got to prove myself, no matter where I’m at on the depth chart, no matter what the circumstance may be. I wake up every day wanting to be in the toughest situations,” he added.
Chicago isn’t an easy place to play, so McCloud may have his toughest test in front of him. He should be a fun player to watch once training camp hits.
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