The Chicago Bears are going to be without Kyler Gordon for at least the next four weeks after he broke his hand. On top of that, his backup Josh Blackwell has a hamstring injury, he has not practiced, and he is doubtful to play. This is pretty bad timing because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers like to play Chris Godwin in the slot, and it is easy to think they will be inclined to do so this week.
So, what the Bears do this week may not be what they do the rest of the way. Still, as they stand right now, they have three choices in the slot.
3. Could Chicago Bears move Tyrique Stevenson into the slot?
The first option is to move rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson into the slot. It would be similar to last season with Kyler Gordon and Kindle Vildor. Stevenson would play outside on the base downs, but when the team needs someone in the slot, they bring in Terell Smith, he plays outside, and Stevenson jumps into the slot.
The pros to this are that Stevenson played the slot back when he was at Georgia. He prefers the outside, but if asked, the experience has to push him there. This also helps their issue with Chris Godwin. In a perfect world, the Chicago Bears would want Jaylon Johnson on Mike Evans and Godwin on Stevenson. If Godwin is on the outside, maybe Stevenson stays there, but it is better to put Stevenson in the slot than let Godwin pick on any other cornerbacks.
The cons to this are that we saw the results for Kyler Gordon last year. It is a lot to ask someone to play the slot and outside, especially as a rookie. Stevenson left Georgia because he did not want to play the slot. Is this asking too much? What do they do when Godwin is outside, and they have a slot receiver inside?