Tuesday afternoon, during the NFL's legal tampering period, the Chicago Bears saw a decision made on one of their key free agents.
Cornerback Nahshon Wright agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the New York Jets. That now leaves the Bears with an obvious conclusion at the cornerback position: it's Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson.
More specifically, this now means general manager Ryan Poles is banking on Stevenson in a contract year, which may or may not be smart.
Tyrique Stevenson has one season to prove he belongs with the Chicago Bears long-term
Last season, Stevenson saw his starting spot taken over by Wright, so this is a little ironic. The former Miami Hurricanes standout has been extremely up and down since being selected in the second round back in the 2023 NFL Draft.
As a rookie, Stevenson showed a ton of promise. He started 16 games, coming up with an impressive four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a whopping 16 pass breakups. Despite his strong numbers in those areas, Stevenson also allowed a career-worst nine touchdowns in coverage.
Stevenson has always been a gambler. He's a risk taker, by nature. Sometimes, it pays off. Other times, he gets beaten badly.
Playing 71 percent of snaps in 2025, Stevenson gave up a career-worst 9.0 yards per target. However, he finished giving up a career-best opposing passer rating of 86.3.
There's always been a yin and yang when it comes to Stevenson. Three years in, and he's still a harder guy to figure out. The talent is certainly there for him to be a starting cornerback in this league, and in Chicago, for the long haul. However, it's whether or not his attitude and risky play style will catch up with him.
Fortunately, Dennis Allen is the perfect coach to help Stevenson blossom into what he could be. With the motivation of playing on a contract year, and under Allen, the potential is there for Stevenson to have his best season yet in 2026.
Now, that's assuming he winds up starting opposite Jaylon Johnson. There is still a whole lot of time left in this offseason; time for Poles to draft a cornerback or sign a veteran to compete with Stevenson.
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If, for some reason, the Bears opt to draft a cornerback within the first three rounds, that will tell you everything you need to know about how they feel about Stevenson. That said, competition breeds success, so we'll see what happens.