After losing two of its starting cornerbacks this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs could turn to Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in a trade before the 2026 season. It’s been a rough free agency for both teams, but the Chiefs lost several secondary men such as Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook and the list goes on. While the team signed veteran safety Alohi Gilman, nobody should anticipate that Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton will emerge as the permanent starting cornerbacks for the Chiefs. The team is too talented for them not to consider a trade to fill the hole.
Despite Stevenson tapering off in production, the Chiefs have the blueprint to iron out the wrinkles. It wasn’t long ago that the team traded L’Jarius Sneed and let safety Justin Reid join the New Orleans Saints in a previous offseason. The Chiefs feel confident that they could establish the next group in the starting secondary. It will take work, but the team isn’t far from being a postseason contender again after missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.
Chiefs, Bears Connected in Tyrique Stevenson Trade
Meanwhile, the Bears find themselves in a familiar situation. Chicago lost Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, Nahshon Wright, CJ Gardner-Johnson and Jonathan Owens. All have been starters and solid depth contributors to the Bears’ secondary, so they can’t really afford to trade Stevenson. However, they will send him to a new team if a deal comes that works for them.
The bad news is that Stevenson hasn’t done anything explosive in his 2025 season to convince a team to give the Bears at least a second-round pick.
The Final Verdict
Selected as a second-round pick, the former Georgia and Miami product is still one of the youngest cornerbacks in today’s game. The Chiefs won’t be the only ones who could be interested in the cornerback. Given that Stevenson is only 25, he shouldn’t be waiting on a new opportunity for too long, especially since he’s in the final year of his contract.
If the Bears can’t acquire him, don’t be surprised if the Cowboys, Chargers or Panthers figure out a way to get Stevenson. Despite Dallas signing Derion Kendrick and Cobie Durant, those are just depth pieces, and they would be better off getting a starter like Stevenson to pair with DaRon Bland. Meanwhile, the Chargers could use the depth ahead of Cam Hart to help Donte Jackson. The Panthers have opened up their championship window and with Stevenson struggling, the team could find him a limited role that works for Jaycee Horn and Michael Jackson.