Tyrique Stevenson may have held a starting job with the Chicago Bears as their No. 2 cornerback over the past two seasons, but new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has made it clear nothing will be handed to him in 2025.
Following Wednesday’s practice, Allen told reporters that the No. 2 cornerback job is “completely up for grabs” at this stage of training camp, effectively putting Stevenson on notice as the incumbent starter as the Bears prepare for the 2025 regular season.
“I think it is completely up for grabs,” Allen said. “I think you saw it out there today, some different guys going out there with the 1s. And I think that’s how you develop the very best defense that you can, is create as much competition as you can and let the tape make the decision, you with me? That’s really what it’s about.”
Stevenson has taken snaps with the first-team defense over the first six practices, but the Bears have also inserted other corners — including newcomer Nahshon Wright — with the 1s at camp while No. 1 starter Jaylon Johnson has been out with a leg injury.
While Stevenson’s starting experience gives him a slight edge, he will need to earn it properly over the next month of competition heading into a make-or-break season.
Tyrique Stevenson Struggled for Bears in 2nd Year
Stevenson seemed primed to make a Year 2 jump for the Bears in 2024 coming off his strong rookie season. Instead, he had delivered a mixed bag marred by big mistakes.
In some ways, Stevenson improved as a coverage player. He allowed fewer receptions, a lower completion percentage and a lower passer rating in 2024 than he did as a rookie. He also more than halved the number of touchdowns that he surrendered in coverage.
At the same time, Stevenson allowed more yards per reception (11.9 vs. 13.8) and yards per target (7.2 vs. 7.8) against his coverage in his 16 games in 2024. He also had less on-ball production, tallying fewer interceptions and pass deflections than he did in 2023.
Maturity and temperament were the bigger problems for Stevenson, though.
Stevenson achieved infamy in 2024 for his role in allowing a Hail Mary touchdown to the Washington Commanders in the waning seconds of Week 8’s matchup. He had been taunting the Commanders’ home fans when the play started and did not notice that it had begun until much too late, scrambling to get to his position and playing it poorly.
Afterward, Stevenson never seemed like he fully recovered mentally. He took himself out of practice the next week after the Bears demoted him (briefly) from the starting lineup. He also had on-field issues with other players throughout the season, including a tripping incident with Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams in December.
Stevenson can still right the ship and get his career back on track, but he will not have the guardrails of being a recent second-round pick keeping him safe any longer.
Who Else Could Push Tyrique Stevenson as Starter?
Stevenson is likely still the frontrunner to win the No. 2 cornerback job with the Bears heading into the 2025 season, but a few other candidates could make things interesting over the next several weeks as the battle continues to unfold in camp and the preseason.
Terell Smith, a 2023 fifth-round pick, has played behind Stevenson as the Bears’ top perimeter backup over his first two seasons, but he has fared at least as well as him in coverage in his limited opportunities and could attempt to replace him in the lineup.
According to Pro Football Focus, Smith allowed an opposing passer rating of just 63.8 during his 121 coverage snaps in 2024. He also received top-25 cornerback grades in all three of the major categories — run defense (78.7), coverage (76.5) and overall (78.5) — which suggests he could be ready to take the next step and receive more playing time.
Meanwhile, Wright — a 2025 newcomer — has made a strong impression on his coaches and teammates over the first several practices of the summer. He has played just 269 defensive snaps over his first four years in the league, but he worked with cornerbacks coach Al Harris in Dallas and has regularly made plays during his shots with the 1s.
Fifth-round rookie Zah Frazier might also factor into the equation at some point, but he has still not returned from the personal issue that has kept him out of practice recently.
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