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1st-and-10: Terell Smith pushing Tyrique Stevenson in rookie battle at cornerback

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Bears rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (29) is expected to be a starter this season. But fellow rookie Terell Smith (32) isn’t far behind.

It’s often hard to tell if a burgeoning position battle at a Bears training camp means the backup is winning the job or if the starter is losing it.

It’s way too early to speculate on that, with fifth-round rookie cornerback Terell Smith sharing first-team reps Saturday with Tyrique Stevenson, the second-round rookie cornerback the Bears hand-picked to replace Kindle Vildor opposite Jaylon Johnson.

The Bears, who had the third-most rookie snaps in the NFL last season, didn’t waste any time jumping Stevenson ahead of Vildor in the offseason.