The Chicago Bears don't care what round their players were drafted in. If they did, second-round cornerback Tyrique Stevenson would be entrenched in the starting lineup opposite Jaylon Johnson. Fifth-round pick Terell Smith, meanwhile, would be fighting for a special teams gig.
But after one week of training camp practices, coach Matt Eberflus confirmed it's an open competition for the starting job between Stevenson and Smith.
"As with any rookies, there are going to be some ups and downs during training camp because they're learning the position," Eberflus said, "they're learning themselves."
The Bears invested second-round picks on a cornerback in back-to-back NFL drafts. In 2022, it was Kyler Gordon, who, unlike Stevenson, emerged quickly as a starter during training camp. Gordon went through his rookie struggles, but all indications from Bears training camp suggest he's turned the corner and is ready to emerge as a foundational defender for the team this season.
Stevenson, meanwhile, has been on the wrong end of DJ Moore and Chase Claypool's training camp highlights. It's a baptism by fire for the young defender, but at some point, he has to step up and prove he belongs with the first team.
"We both know we're working for the same position," Stevenson said Tuesday of his camp battle with Smith.
The former Miami Hurricane was a surprising second-round selection. The surprise wasn't because the Chicago Bears reached, but cornerback wasn't pegged as a position they'd select that early in the 2023 NFL draft. With that pick came starting expectations for Stevenson.
Smith, meanwhile, is playing with house money. The fact he's worked himself into a chance to start is a testament to his effort and focus. It also proves talented players can slide to Day 3 of the draft. Remember: Richard Sherman, a likely Hall-of-Famer, was a Day-3 pick too.
This isn't to suggest Smith, who totaled 38 tackles and two interceptions for the Golden Gophers in 2022, is destined for Canton. But if he can be 2023's Braxton Jones? A Day-3 pick who emerges as a building block for the future? That's a home run.
I dove into this position battle as one of the big takeaways from Chicago Bears training camp so far. Check it out (and remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel):
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