The Bears walked out of Carolina with a win and a warning.
Yes, Ben Johnson’s team put up enough offense to survive giving up 37 points on the road. But the Panthers also showed exactly where Chicago can be picked apart, and the answer was staring right at them in the secondary: attack Tyrique Stevenson.
Stevenson entered the season saying he would bounce back after a rough 2025 campaign, but Week 1 did him no favors. He looked a step behind too often, struggled to stick in coverage, and the tackling issues that have followed him for a while showed up again in ugly fashion. The Bears got the win, but their cornerback situation still looks shaky enough to cause real problems.
The biggest blow came on a 51-yard touchdown catch by Jalen Coker, a play that summed up Stevenson’s afternoon. He was late, out of position, and unable to recover. It was the kind of snap that made the rest of the game feel like a repeat.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Stevenson allowed four catches on five targets for 77 yards. That works out to 19.3 yards per reception. He also missed three tackles, surrendered two touchdowns, and Bryce Young posted a 158.3 passer rating when throwing his way.
There is at least one possible excuse. Stevenson missed time in training camp, so some early-season rust is fair to consider.
But this is not new territory for him. He has been the weak spot in the Bears’ secondary for years, and the fact that he made the 53-man roster at all raised eyebrows.
Jaylon Johnson had his own rough patches, but Stevenson was the clear low point in a cornerback group that did not have many bright spots. Rookie Malik Muhammad flashed in his NFL debut, though he is expected to spend most of his time in the slot while Kyler Gordon returns. That leaves Stevenson in position to keep playing, at least for now.
Still, Chicago cannot afford for his mistakes to keep piling up. The Bears may have enough firepower to win shootouts, but they cannot count on dropping 50 every week. If their defense is going to hold up, the secondary has to be better - and Stevenson has to be better, or the Bears may need to start looking at the trade market.
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