The Chicago Bears made a few big changes to their secondary this offseason, most notably with the departures of veterans Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard from the safety room.
But, they also lost Nahshon Wright as a depth cornerback. After not singing one in free agency, they took a corner in 4th-round rookie Malik Muhammad as a nice value pick on Day 3.
And as ESPN's Ben Solak notes, Muhammad might force the Bears to make a switch at CB, with the rookie CB taking over for infamous hail-mary corner Tyrique Stevenson.
Bears might replace Tyrique Stevenson with Malik Muhammad
"The Bears would much prefer Stevenson to play (and excel) over Muhammad," Solak writes. "... But if Muhammad shines in camp, the Bears might struggle to keep him off the field while Stevenson gets targeted opposite Johnson."
Chicago will have Jaylon Johnson starting at one of the cornerback spots, and the other outside CB spot is currently held by Stevenson.
But, after Stevenson's struggles last year in Dennis Allen's scheme, it would not be a surprise if he lost his job in 2026.
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If he does lose his job, the Bears might be turning to their 4th-round rookie Muhammad. The 6-foot-0, 188-pound corner was a good defender for the Texas Longhorns in college.
He had two interceptions this past season with 30 total tackles, one sack, and four passes defended. He's a solid cornerback option and could take over for the struggling Stevenson.
This would all be moot if Stevenson plays well to begin the season, but any struggles from the veteran cornerback and Muhammad might have a starting spot awaiting him in 2026.
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