Tyrique Stevenson looked like a potential fixture for the Chicago Bears‘ defense by the end of the 2023 season. He’d overcome a rough rookie year to take considerable steps forward. He’d validated the team’s decision to take him in the 2nd round. His blend of athleticism and physicality felt like a good fit for the defense they wanted to play. Then 2024 happened. In addition to some rough games throughout the season, Stevenson’s star fell considerably after his disastrous antics in the Hail Mary loss to the Washington Commanders.

Since then, it has felt like he has never managed to regain his credibility or the organization’s trust. That became evident when they significantly reduced his snaps midway through last season, choosing to stick with Nahshon Wright. Some have wondered what Stevenson’s future is in Chicago. He is in the last year of his rookie contract and nowhere close to earning an extension. According to Ben Solak of ESPN, there is a greater likelihood he could remain benched or even be dismissed from the team via a cut or trade.

Tyrique Stevenson, CB, Chicago Bears

A surprise faller to Day 3 of the draft was Texas CB Malik Muhammad. A multiyear starter and still just 21 years old, Muhammad has the profile of someone who gets drafted on Day 2. That’s especially true when you factor in his combine testing, where Muhammad had a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, 39-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-11 broad jump, all at 6-foot with arms over 32 inches. I still don’t know how that skill set made it to Round 4…

…Stevenson in particular struggled last season, his first under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen; Stevenson’s 9.8 yards per target allowed ranked third worst among all cornerbacks (minimum 50 targets).

The Bears would much prefer Stevenson to play (and excel) over Muhammad. 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.

Stevenson should be grateful for the Zah Frazier fiasco.

The former 5th round pick was recently waived by the Bears, removing one of the expected pieces of competition in a crowded cornerback room. It isn’t clear what the problem with Frazier was. Theories suggest he hasn’t gotten over the death of his girlfriend in 2023, which is what led to his year-long sabbatical from the team in 2025. The Bears finally seem to have run out of patience waiting for him to be ready. His exit reduces the likelihood that Stevenson’s roster spot is in trouble.

That said, the threat to his job as a starter remains very real. Malik Muhammad exhibits many of the traits that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and defensive backs coach Al Harris prefer. He’s tall, long, athletic, and fluid in coverage. He has that ability to mirror receivers in their routes, squeezing throwing windows. This was always a problem with Tyrique Stevenson. Sometimes he could do that too, but others he’d give up way too many easy completions. That inconsistency is part of why he got benched.

The big unknown will be Terell Smith.

Chicago’s other former 5th round pick was playing really well in training camp and the preseason last year. Unfortunately, a knee injury ended his season. He should be fully recovered by now and ready for training camp. How he performs coming off that injury will also dictate Stevenson’s job security. There is also the outside chance the Bears decide to bring in a prominent veteran following Frazier’s departure. L’Jarius Sneed has ties to general manager Ryan Poles and is free of his legal issues.

That will be something to watch in the coming weeks. The point remains that Stevenson approaches by far the most important training camp of his life. Forget a long-term extension from the Bears. That ship probably sailed some time ago. He is fighting for his financial future as a pending free agent. This will be his best professional opportunity to secure a massive new contract. Getting benched in favor of a rookie or a former backup would be the kiss of death.

The Chicago Bears showed last year that they won’t bend to the expectations of media and fans when it came to the draft. They would stick to their board, which might sometimes involve going with players and positions that people might not expect. That was the case in the 3rd round this year. It started when they took Stanford tight end Sam Roush 69th overall, addressing a position that didn’t really need much help. Yet the bigger surprise awaited at the 89th pick when they grabbed LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas, who many experts saw as a 6th or 7th round prospect at best.

Head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles didn’t flinch when asked about it. They stated that what they saw on tape was a highly explosive player with great return ability who had room to grow as a wide receiver. His sheer versatility made him a rare potential chess piece that could give defenses problems. In case people aren’t sure about such conviction, Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune hammered it home. Apparently, Johnson was already drawing up plays with Thomas in mind before the Bears even drafted him last month.

“You look next to you and (Ben) is sketching out plays,” Poles said. “So yeah, when you go through that, and he can see it, and there’s a vision for it, you have confidence.

“Obviously, the player has to do his part, and there’s development and things like that. It’s not (going to happen) overnight. But any time there’s clarity on how we’re going to use players, (it’s exciting).”

Zavion Thomas got Johnson’s creative juices flowing.

Poles learned early on that this was always a good sign. If the head coach reacted with certain triggers, it meant the scouts were onto something. The fact that Johnson couldn’t even wait for the pick to go in before he started brainstorming ways to use the young receiver is telling. That is the first clue that we may see the rookie on the field more often than initially assumed. Johnson did say that guys with 4.28 speed are rare. Getting the ball in the hands of somebody that fast is rarely a bad thing.

We already know the Bears’ head coach has a certain knack for crafting ways to get receivers in space. The one issue is that most of their guys weren’t explosive enough to take full advantage of it. That won’t be the case this year. Thomas is the type of player who can turn a six-yard slant into a 60-yard touchdown. The trick, at least early in his career, will be finding ways to give him free releases without being crowded by aggressive cornerbacks. For a mad scientist like Johnson, that should be no obstacle.

Expect Thomas to get the Kalif Raymond treatment.

While the veteran receiver is actually on the roster, one can expect Johnson to treat the rookie similarly to how he treated Raymond in Detroit. In 2022, he was targeted 64 times for 616 yards while also getting seven carries for 36 yards. Zavion Thomas will be moved around the field frequently, hunting for matchups. We already know this head coach isn’t afraid to craft all sorts of gadget plays. We saw that last year with Moore. Now he has somebody considerably faster to take advantage of.

All of that said, don’t expect Thomas to get any preferential treatment. Johnson may be excited about all the things he can do with the young receiver, but that won’t happen until the kid proves he’s ready. That means putting in the work during practice and showing the willingness to hone his craft. The Bears don’t seem concerned about that. It will only be a matter of when, not if, he sees the field this season. Perhaps Raymond’s influence could help speed things up.

There were so many things to like about the Chicago Bears‘ 2025 draft class. Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, and Kyle Monangai were home runs. All played huge roles in helping the team make the playoffs last yeare. Ozzy Trapilo looked like a strong addition as well before he injured his knee. Sadly, no class is perfect. Ruben Hyppolite and Shemar Turner both disappointed prior to their own injuries. Yet no player proved more of a waste of resources than 5th round pick Zah Frazier.

His addition made sense at first. The cornerback out of UTSA had tons of potential with a tall, long frame and great athleticism. He was your classic Al Harris type of player. Things took a strange turn when he didn’t show up for spring practices, training camp, or the regular season. Eventually, he was shut down for the season, with the only explanation being that he was away from the team for “personal reasons.” Still, it was hoped he could get his affairs in order for next year. Indeed, it looked like things were going that direction.

Then the Bears dropped a bombshell on Thursday afternoon.

Zah Frazier is a complete mystery.

Leading up to the draft last year, there were no indications of character concerns. The one sticking point was that he’d turn 25 as a rookie. Outside of that, everything pointed to a late-bloomer prospect with more than enough ability to compete for a roster spot. Everything the Bears found in their research was that Frazier was mature and had great football character. They were excited to get him in the building. Then at some point between the end of the draft and training camp, something went wrong.

General manager Ryan Poles refused to offer any details, only calling it a “personal” matter. It was apparently bad enough that Zah Frazier never even returned to the team. He was shut down for the season. Still, the Bears were willing to give him more time to get his situation figured out. The cornerback offered signs that he was ready to get to work this season. Now this happens. For it to happen right before the start of spring practices suggests the personal issue resurfaced or another problem did. Whatever the case, the Bears felt it was the final straw and just chose to cut their losses.

Frazier’s margin for error disappeared after the draft.

That became the case when Chicago drafted Malik Muhammad in the 4th round last month. The pick received widespread praise from experts, who felt the Bears got a steal. Combine that with the expected return of Terell Smith from his knee injury last season, and the competition for a roster spot had grown significantly for Frazier. That meant any mistake or problem he created would not be met with the same patience and understanding as last year. Sure enough, he gets the boot.

People are left wondering what happened. The lack of answers is what makes this so frustrating. The team isn’t talking, and they deserve some criticism for this mess. They were the ones who decided to gamble on Frazier when they had some viable options elsewhere in the 5th round. Denzel Burke, a cornerback who had three interceptions as a rookie, went five picks later. The team should be grateful it was a later pick. If this had been in the first two days of the draft, the backlash would be enormous.

The Chicago Bears have remade their wide receiver room pretty extensively this offseason. After trading D.J. Moore and letting Olamide Zaccheaus walk in free agency, they signed veteran Kalif Raymond and drafted Zavion Thomas out of LSU in the 3rd round. While they’ve lost some experience, they’ve gained considerable speed. Raymond and Thomas both can take the top off a defense and turn short passes into long ones with their return ability. So, where does Deebo Samuel factor into this?

Aaron Schatz, an ESPN analytics expert, evaluated every team’s roster and pinpointed each team’s biggest weaknesses following the draft. For the Bears, he sees a considerable void at slot receiver. While the team is set to dominate the league with its two tight-end sets, it no longer has the trio of receivers needed to operate in “11” personnel. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden will be excellent outside targets, but they don’t have anybody who can threaten from the slot. That is where Samuel is mentioned

Slot receiver

The Bears use a lot of two tight-end sets. However, they still were in 11 personnel 52% of the time last season, so they need to have a third starting receiver to go with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. Right now, that’s veteran Kalif Raymond, but Raymond is 31 and has had less than 300 yards in each of the past two seasons. The other alternative is third-round rookie Zavion Thomas. Deebo Samuel would be a really interesting free agent signing here.

Deebo Samuel isn’t the player he was a few years ago.

There is no question that the former Pro Bowler was a force for the San Francisco 49ers in the early 2020s, showcasing his mix of route-running prowess and after-the-catch ability. Defenses had no answers for him. However, over the past two years, it became apparent that he’d lost some of his juice. While still a tough runner with good versatility, his explosiveness seemed to slacken. No doubt the heavy workload he received in San Francisco played a part in that. It is why he was traded to Washington.

Though still productive at 727 yards with five touchdowns, it came with 99 targets, which was the most on the team. If the Bears wish to develop their younger players, the last thing they should do is sign a receiver who requires a high volume of targets but doesn’t produce at the level he once did. It is why the team was looking at veteran Scotty Miller after the draft. While not as gifted as Samuel, he would offer them a viable slot option at a favorable price, who wouldn’t need to get fed constantly.

The Bears can’t develop guys if they don’t offer opportunities.

That is the key point here. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have said their primary goal is to draft and develop young talent. That is a good thing. However, it requires something difficult. That is a willingness to leave spots open for those young guys to take over. It is one of the reasons the Bears traded Moore this offseason. They wanted to give Burden more opportunities in the offense. Signing Deebo Samuel would undo that to a degree. This is not a move to make unless the Bears are desperate.

Maybe things change. Injuries can strike at any time, putting the team in a difficult spot. Maybe Thomas doesn’t make enough strides in practice to convince coaches he can play this season. Anything is possible. The truth is, Samuel is little more than an aging player living off his big name. He can still contribute, but you can’t sign him expecting that he can still carry the load in the passing game. He’d have to be okay with playing more of a complementary role. That doesn’t seem likely.