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Bears Training Camp Battle Breakdown: Outside CB position will have a lot of pressure and four high upside players vying for the role

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kole Noble | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 10:22 AM ET

Moving onward in the Chicago Bears' training camp roster battle breakdowns, the attention now turns to the defensive side of the ball after discussing the two biggest battles set to take place on offense.

Defensively, two starting positions are really still up for grabs but today we will be focusing on the one that will see a lot more attention in 2025.

That position is the outside cornerback spot in the secondary. The numbers showed in 2024 how heavily targeted this position was and the reason why is because QBs and OCs were scared to test Jaylon Johnson on the other end of the field.

Under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's press-man scheme, this position will hold even more pressure for that player to perform at a consistent level, which is why we should see multiple players rotating in that spot throughout the season.

Right now, it's between four players, who all have some high upside, to see which one will earn more opportunities in that role. Those players are Tyrique Stevenson, rookie Zah Frazier, Terell Smith, and Nahshon Wright. Let's break down each candidate.

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Tyrique Stevenson

The Bears' third-year defender is entering into a critical season for his career. Stevenson is easily the leader in the clubhouse to earn a starting job on the outside but will have a short-leash after what transpired in 2024.

It's not that Stevenson's performance struggled or dropped off in 2024, he just had a few costly mental lapses that came back to hurt the team, such as his out-of-coverage mistake on the Hail Mary against the Washington Commanders.

The new staff has stressed putting the past in the past and giving each player the opportunity to have a clean slate, which is key for someone like Stevenson. This scheme is the best fit for his style of play, but if he fails to play at a consistent level, the staff can look into other options to mix in.

"What we love about him is that he's got some length and he's not afraid, which I think those are two things that you really need to play particularly the style of corner that we're looking for," head coach Ben Johnson said. "Guys that will come up, they'll challenge, they'll get hands on. Press man-to-man is something that we're going to do a healthy amount of and we feel like he fits that mold really well."

Zah Frazier

That brings us to Zah Frazier, the Bears' fifth-round draft pick in April who was brought in to give the team another insurance policy in the secondary.

One of the coolest stories to come out of the draft involved defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Al Harris texting general manager Ryan Poles about this guy months before the draft. His wish came true.

The reason Harris liked Frazier so much is because he reminds him of himself. A physical, lanky cornerback who is aggressive when it comes to his ball skills. The downside is Frazier's lack of playing experience in college, something that can only be fixed by getting on the field as early as possible.

"Here's another guy that's a young, developmental corner. He's got a lot of things that he's gotta learn but again he's got the tools for us to work with," Allen said. ". . . We're excited about getting the opportunity to work with him and helping him grow."

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Terell Smith

Like Stevenson, Smith is entering into a critical third season and has always been an overlooked member of the secondary. Since being drafted in the fifth-round back in 2023, Smith has played 26 total games and 584 total defensive snaps.

He's been solid as a rotational player, allowing a 58.6 reception percentage and a 76.9 passer rating throughout his first two seasons. In fact, Smith's only allowed one touchdown in coverage with one interception and eight pass deflections.

Smith's always flown under the radar and someone the new staff still hasn't brought up yet. For me, he's going to be a sneaky player to watch to see what kind of noise he can make during training camp. Until then, it's hard to assess how the staff feels.

Nahshon Wright

Speaking of overlooked and under-the-radar, the free agent signing of Nahshon Wright didn't generate much attention when the move was made back in April and looking back, this move seems really intentional by the staff.

Wright spent his first three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys playing under Harris and after one year in Minnesota, Harris made sure to bring him along to Chicago.

We've already seen why. Wright is another physical, lanky corner who fits what the staff wants to see out of the position. During OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Wright was even mixing in with the first-team when Jaylon Johnson was absent. Don't write this guy off as a depth-only or roster bubble player. He can easily see some action.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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