Chicago Bears: Stevenson grabbing a hold of a starting job

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles made a concerted effort to improve the defense this offseason. He signed six defensive free agents and then used seven of his ten draft picks on defenders.

One of the areas Poles concentrated on was the secondary. He drafted two cornerbacks and a safety to shore up that secondary. Additionally, he selected a cornerback and safety with his first two picks of last year’s draft.

After selecting Tyrique Stevenson in the second round of this year’s draft, the Bears feel that they have their three starting cornerbacks. Last year’s second-round pick, Kyler Gordon, is penciled in as the slot corner. Jaylon Johnson, the second-round pick from 2020, is the other starter.

The NFL is a passing league so having a dependable secondary is critical for the Chicago Bears’ defense to succeed. Stevenson can be a key to success.

The Bears have a lot of confidence in Stevenson. With that, they have a lot of expectations. Gordon started some at the outside cornerback spot last season but he struggled there. He looked better at the slot. Additionally, Gordon could blitz the quarterback more from the slot.

The Bears are dependent on Stevenson coming through on the outside.

Stevenson was the 41st-ranked prospect in this draft so the Bears got some value, having picked him at 56. He has the size, athleticism, and speed to make an impact on the outside.

Stevenson measures at 6-feet tall and weighs 214 pounds. He is a physical player and could do a great job of harassing receivers in press coverage. He brings back memories of the physical defenders the Chicago Bears had throughout its history. His 4.45-40 speed helps him keep up with receivers or catch up with them if he falls behind. Additionally, he has the strength to beat receivers for the 50/50 balls.

So far in OTAs and minicamp practices, Stevenson has impressed. He is showing that he is exactly the player the Bears hoped for. He is a hard hitter and he is supremely confident. These are good traits to have in a cornerback.

Of course, these practices were done only in shorts so Stevenson has to show it when the pads come on in training camp. However, head coach Matt Eberflus isn’t concerned about that. He feels Stevenson’s play will be even better when he puts on his pads.

"We love where he is in terms of his length, his competitiveness and we know he tackles. We know he likes to hit. I think he’ll take even a step up more when we get the pads on…It seems more like a veteran to me than it does a rookie, which is kind of cool to be able to watch that. And he’s very confident."

We’ve seen from this coaching staff that the Bears are not afraid of starting rookies. Last season, they had Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, Braxton Jones, and Trenton Gill, all rookies, start. In this year’s class, they have Darnell Wright and Stevenson as starters. There could be more.

The Bears are building up a young, tough, athletic secondary. Johnson, with three years under his belt, is the old man in the cornerback room. He is in a contract year so he’ll want to up his play.

With the other cornerbacks struggling and him playing well, opposing quarterbacks decided to not target him as much. Now, with Stevenson on the outside and Gordon at the slot, that might not be an option. He should see more targets and receive more chances to make big plays.

The Chicago Bears are building a cornerback unit that could be together for quite some time. This could be a unit that could wreak havoc against NFL quarterbacks. Stevenson looks to be a player who will be in the middle of a lot of big plays.