The Chicago Bears are preparing for the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round. It'll be the third chapter between these teams this season, but the Bears have several players dealing with injuries, which could change the math on Chicago's side.
Safety cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson is in concussion protocol, while the "hope" is that Kyler Gordon will be off IR ahead of the game. The concerns for Chicago don't end there, however.
In the season finale, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson didn't play a single snap, and head coach Ben Johnson said they liked where Jaylon Johnson and Nahshon Wright were at. That's a bad look for Stevenson, but based on how the secondary has looked in 2025, the corner is a name to pay attention to.
Tyrique Stevenson Is a Name to Watch for Bears in Playoffs
Entering the postseason, Wright and Johnson haven't played well on the outside. Johnson appears not to be fully healthy after groin surgery, and that's having an impact on his production, as he looks a step slower. In seven games in 2025, Johnson had a 58.2 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus. In the loss to the Lions, he has given up six catches (seven targets) for 81 receiving yards.
As for Wright, he has enjoyed success taking the ball away this season, but he still leaves a lot to be desired in coverage. The 27-year-old finished the season with a 63.4 coverage grade (57th among 114 graded corners) on PFF. In addition, Wright was fifth in the NFL in receiving yards allowed (725), with 13.7 yards per reception.
He has allowed at least 65 receiving yards in the last two games of the regular season, including four catches given up with 68 receiving yards against Detroit.
The fact that Johnson said he liked where those two were is alarming. That's where Stevenson comes into the equation. He appeared in 13 games (10 starts) this season and was also underwhelming. The 25-year-old was ranked 17th in the league in receiving yards given up (578), despite playing the 75th most snaps among CBs.
Although Stevenson also has room to grow in coverage, the uncertainty around Wright and Johnson could prompt them to have the CB step in. It's not like the Bears have been shut down with the duo of Johnson and Wright.
David Haugh of 670 The Score spoke about the Bears CB and said, "If you have Tyrique Stevenson and he's healthy, he's somebody that needs to be in action."
And that makes sense, considering that Johnson doesn't look right. It's obvious the coaching staff doesn't trust Stevenson, but with how things have looked in the secondary, they might not have a choice on Saturday.
It'll be interesting to see what the Bears do back there, but there's an argument that Stevenson should be thrown out, as Chicago isn't in the position to have healthy cornerbacks standing on the sideline.