We move back to the defensive side of the ball for our next training camp battle, and it’s another one in the secondary. Who will be lining up opposite Jaylon Johnson this season? Will it be Tyrique Stevenson or Terell Smith?
The easy answer there is Stevenson, and that may end up being the answer when the Chicago Bears are getting ready for the Minnesota Vikings for week one. Stevenson was a second-round pick, has shown flashes of talent, and his play style does seem to fit what Dennis Allen likes to do defensively.
But there’s more to this conversation than that. First of all, Terell Smith is also entering his third year in the league. He's been on the field for almost 600 snaps, he’s played well when he’s received opportunities, and he doesn't have some of the negative marks like Stevenson does.
Let’s briefly start with Stevenson’s attitude. Stevenson burns hot. He did some questionable things on the field last year, led by the debacle at the end of the Washington Commanders game.
I think it’s pretty clear that this new coaching staff is not going to deal with any shenanigans from Stevenson. He needs to grow up and not do that kind of stuff on the field, or he’s going to find himself on the bench and off this team in two years.
Smith has been a sneaky good player. He doesn’t make as many splash plays as Stevenson does, but he also doesn’t make as many negative plays. He’s pretty steady, and steady is a great CB2 to have on a team.
How this battle plays out is certainly going to depend significantly on Stevenson. If Stevenson goes out there is business-like, and performs at the level he is certainly capable of, you would have to expect that he will earn back the CB2 duties on the team, and Terell Smith will be on the bench.
However, even if Stevenson’s mentality is in the right place, if his play is up and down during training camp and Smith ends up performing well, Dennis Allen may want the more consistent play in his secondary.
If you look at PFF grades, those grades tend to reflect well of players who “do their job.” That’s why Adrian Amos always had very high grades. PFF doesn’t tend to reward playmakers; they tend to reward steady play.
If you look at Stevenson and Smith’s PFF grades. In 2024, Stevenson’s grade was a 58.9. Smith’s was a 78.5. The previous year, Stevenson had a 60.2 and Smith had a 69.6.
I know plenty of you say, “Who cares about PFF grades?” And I get that response, but you can’t ignore that through two seasons, PFF has seen Smith’s play as superior to Stevenson’s. The tape is there to back that up.
I think you’ll see both Smith and Stevenson get reps with the 1s during training camp. I don’t think a lot of fans are considering Smith as any real possibility to unseat Stevenson if all things are equal, and while I agree that Stevenson would have a leg up in that scenario, I don’t think it’s as cut-and-dry as many fans think.
If Smith develops a little bit more, he could find himself outperforming Stevenson in July and August, and he could grab the starting job. If Stevenson is still making questionable decisions during practices and games, that’s going to push the decision even further towards Smith.
Stevenson needs to keep his head on straight and eliminate negative plays. If he does that, the job should be his. But if the negative plays persist or his decisions don’t improve, don’t be surprised if Terell Smith is named one of the team’s starting cornerbacks in week one.