​The Chicago Bears are stepping into a highly anticipated 2026 season, aiming to build on the momentum from a strong first year under head coach Ben Johnson. That 2025 campaign included an NFC North championship and a wild-card playoff victory, achievements that have set high expectations for what comes next. Yet this is a fresh start for Chicago, marked by a busy offseason that saw the departure of veteran leaders and the arrival of new veterans alongside promising rookies. The work begins in earnest at training camp, where Johnson intends to push his squad to the limit to ensure they’re ready for the 2026 grind.
From now through training camp, we’ll be counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2026 season. Each installment will recap how the player performed in 2025, project how they’ll contribute in 2026, and address the biggest question they face this year. Up next at No. 21 is cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, the incumbent starter at outside corner who will be judged this season on whether he can justify an extension with another strong, consistent showing.
Stevenson entered 2025 under immense scrutiny, carrying the heaviest spotlight on a defense that needed him to rebound from a difficult 2024 campaign that included both a blown Hail Mary moment and a benching. He began the year with a fresh start under a new coaching staff and quickly emerged as the most important defensive back through the first quarter of the season. With injuries removing Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon from the field, Stevenson stepped up significantly. From Weeks 1 through 4, he racked up 19 tackles (one for loss), five passes defended, one interception, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. The forced fumble against the Dallas Cowboys is often cited as a turning point that helped spark the Bears’ late-season surge.
As the year progressed, Stevenson faced his own durability issues and eventually saw less playing time with Johnson’s return and the rise of Nahshon Wright. Nevertheless, he finished the season with a career-best opposing passer rating of 86.3 across 13 games, underscoring his value even amid the ebbs and flows of an evolving defense.
Heading into training camp, Stevenson is still pegged as the starting outside corner opposite Johnson. The Bears did not re-sign Dennis Allen’s former slot defender, Wright, and they used a fourth-round pick on Malik Muhammad from Texas, a selection some expect to slot inside rather than on the boundary. Despite that, the organization’s level of confidence in Stevenson remains high, and he will continue to benefit from another year in Allen’s system while working closely with defensive backs coach Al Harris. If Johnson returns to his Pro Bowl form, Stevenson is likely to absorb a substantial portion of the team’s targets and face an increased workload, making his health and consistency even more crucial to Chicago’s defensive success in 2026.
In short, Tyrique Stevenson enters 2026 as a cornerstone figure at cornerback for the Bears. His ability to stay healthy, play with discipline, and produce against high-caliber competition will go a long way toward determining how effectively Chicago can replicate or exceed last year’s defensive impact. The Bears’ confidence in him, paired with continued development under Johnson and Harris, suggests Stevenson has both the opportunity and the imperative to cement himself as a top-level corner and a lasting piece of Chicago’s defensive puzzle in the 2026 season.