Over the last few years, the Chicago Bears have been focused on building their defense up with young players in the secondary.
One of those players they brought on was cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Stevenson was seen as a formidable CB2 to work alongside Jaylon Johnson, who has become a two-time Pro Bowler in the NFL.
The last two seasons, though, have not gone the way Stevenson had envisioned when he was selected into the NFL. His most recent struggles have now put him on the hot seat, where the Bears might be ready to pull the plug on his time in Chicago.
Tyrique Stevenson might lose his starting job in 2026
In 2025, things were going well for Stevenson as he took over as the CB1 for Johnson when he got injured. The Week 3 game against the Dallas Cowboys and the Week 4 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders were real turning points for Stevenson as he dominated those games.
All of a sudden, Nahshon Wright started to play well, and Stevenson regressed badly. By the time Johnson came back in the second half of the season, Stevenson had lost his job to Wright as CB2 and was on the bench with zero playing time. Stevenson finished the season with 49 tackles, 10 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and one tackle for loss in 13 games.
Going into the 2026 season now, the Bears lost Wright, opening the door for Stevenson to get back his job. The one problem? Chicago selected Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
There is a real chance that, with Muhammad's skill set, he might beat Stevenson for the CB2 job. Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen made his feelings known about Stevenson the moment he left him on the bench at the end of the year.
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Stevenson will have a battle on his hands in 2026 at training camp, but it will already be too late, and he will have lost his job. Could he bounce back and earn the job? That's the real question here.
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