The Chicago Bears face a secondary depleted by injury with Week 1 looming, which makes the notion of dealing a starting-caliber player from the unit counterintuitive, but a certain sets of circumstances could facilitate such a move ahead of the NFL’s November trade deadline.
Brad Berreman of FanSided suggested on Monday, September 7 that starting cornerback Tyrique Stevenson could end up on the block at some point over the next two months.
Stevenson is penciled in strongly as the Bears’ starting perimeter cornerback opposite Jaylon Johnson. But if things break a certain way, with the trade acquisition [Clark] Phillips adding depth to the room and rookie Malik Muhammad perhaps ready to take that role opposite Johnson, the contract year perpetual underachiever would get a push toward the door.
When the Bears didn’t have the cornerback options they currently do, late last season, Stevenson was effectively benched. If that happens again this season, but perhaps earlier, the skids will be greased to send him elsewhere in short order.
Malik Muhammad Likely to Succeed Tyrique Stevenson Next Season Regardless of Trade
The reality is that Stevenson is probably gone next spring regardless of how he plays.
The former second-round pick has been embattled at times and had some controversial moments, chief among them when his distracted gloating of the fans in the nation’s capitol cost the Bears a win against the Washington Commanders via a last-second Hail Mary completion in 2024.
Chicago drafted Muhammad, a fourth-round pick, as the heir apparent to Stevenson. And Ben Solak of ESPN predicted in May that Muhammad might take Stevenson’s job before the season began, or perhaps early into the team’s opening slate.
He added, however, that such an outcome wouldn’t necessarily be an ideal one for the Bears.
“The Bears would much prefer Stevenson to play (and excel) over Muhammad,” Solak wrote. “That would mean Stevenson could walk in free agency, sign a huge deal elsewhere and give Chicago a nice compensatory pick in return. But if Muhammad shines in camp, the Bears might struggle to keep him off the field while Stevenson gets targeted opposite Johnson.”
Kyler Gordon’s Health Will Determine Much About Bears’ Path Forward in Secondary
The major difference between the secondary now and when Solak made that prediction is the knowledge that Kyler Gordon will miss at least the first four weeks of the season with an injury. Muhammad is likely going to start in his place as the team’s nickel cornerback, which is going to keep Stevenson on the field out of necessity.
Phillips could create an opportunity for the Bears to sell high on Stevenson ahead of the deadline, should the career reserve (28 games played, seven starts in Atlanta over three years) show himself capable of stepping into a starting role.
But after injuries and cuts robbed Chicago of two reserve CBs — Terell Smith and Jaylon Jones — moving on from a healthy Stevenson would be a risk even if Gordon is back, Johnson remains healthy and both Muhammad and Clark are available/playing well.
Chicago would also have to weigh what type of draft asset it could get in return for moving Stevenson and how that would stack up to the compensatory pick the team might receive if he departs in free agency.
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