The Bears are being asked to bench Tyrique Stevenson for Terell Smith

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Terell Smith of the Chicago Bears intercepts a pass.

With three games left in a season that can only be described as a colossal disappointment, the Chicago Bears have endless questions to answer.

One is whether they should continue to give second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson playing time.

While Stevenson’s season was full of learning experiences, the second-year DB didn’t seem to have matured much over the course of the year. Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder put together a list of all the moves every NFC team should make right now, and for the Bears, he thinks they should use Terrell Smith instead of Stevenson.

“Tyrique Stevenson had a disappointing season and recently began splitting relief duties with fellow 2023 draft prospect Terell Smith, who has taken advantage of the opportunities,” Holder wrote on Dec. 17.

“Going into this weekend, the fifth-round pick had just a 66.7 passer rating when targeted and earned a 79.8 grade in 2024 from Pro Football Focus,” Holder added. “With the Bears playing for their future over the next few weeks, it’s time to see what Smith can do in the full-time role as CB2.”

There’s a compelling case to be made for benching Tyrique Stevenson and starting Terell Smith

Benching Stevenson, a 2023 second-rounder, and benching Smith, a 2023 fifth-rounder from the University of Minnesota, might raise some eyebrows. But Smith has performed relatively well in limited opportunities and could benefit from increased playing time.

Smith has played just 27% of Chicago’s defensive snaps this season after playing 50% of them last year, largely because he missed time early in the season with a hip injury.

So far this season, Smith has 16 total tackles and three passes defended, and also grabbed the first interception of his career in Week 11 against the rival Green Bay Packers. Given Stevenson’s recent struggles and his struggles early in the season, it’s fair to wonder what Smith would look like in the starting lineup.

According to PFF, Stevenson has a coverage grade of 57.4, while Smiths fares better at 72.9. Stevenson has also given up touchdowns in coverage, while Smith has yet to give up a score. Chicago could benefit from seeing more of what Smith can accomplish with more opportunities.

Tyrique Stevenson had errors against 49ers, Vikings

Stevenson’s problems this season — from the Fail Mary to his $19,697 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct after he tackled Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams — have raised legitimate concerns about his discipline and decision-making. So did his playing days.

Early in Chicago’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14, Stevenson was involved in a critical defensive error and lost coverage from wide receiver Jauan Jennings, resulting in a 7-yard touchdown pass that set the tone for the 49ers’ offense pretended.

That misstep was part of a broader defensive struggle, as the Bears allowed several big plays, contributing to a 38-13 loss.

A week later, Stevenson made his second interception of the year in the away game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears were down 10-0 at the time, and after the pick he mocked the home crowd. Chicago lost 30-12, with Stevenson also cited for pass interference later in the game.

The Bears’ coaching staff now faces big decisions about how to handle Stevenson’s maturity issues, and with Smith currently available, the stage may already be set. We’ll see how it goes in the next three weeks.