Tyrique Stevenson went into last season as a starting cornerback for the Chicago Bears. Nothing seemed amiss through the first month of the season. He still had his occasional mishaps, but also made some huge plays. The forced fumble against Dallas was one of the biggest of the season. However, as the midpoint of the year arrived, Stevenson’s playing time started dipping. Jaylon Johnson and Nahshon Wright became the primary pairing, but even other names got more snaps than he did. People couldn’t understand why. Defensive backs coach Al Harris finally shed some light on that.
In speaking with Clocker Sports this past week, he was asked about Stevenson’s up-and-down season and the dip in playing time. Harris stated that towards the end of the season, the cornerback became much more of a team player. This suggests that coaches weren’t happy with his approach on the practice field or during games. He was focused too much on standing out individually and not enough on doing his job. That was never going to fly under Harris. As a result, the Bears started giving snaps to other guys.
“I think he did an excellent job towards the end of the season of just being a team player. I think he matured. I think last year matured Tyrique into the guy that you guys are going to see moving forward.”
The benching certainly got something out of Tyrique Stevenson.
Through the 10 games where he was designated a starter, he was targeted 52 times for 558 yards. In the five games when his playing time diminished, he was targeted 13 times for just 59 yards. His coverage grade over that stretch was the highest of his career. It seems Harris and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen got his attention by doing that. The timing certainly played a part as well. Don’t forget Stevenson is coming towards the end of his rookie contract. This 2026 season will be the final year. He’s running out of time to position himself for a lucrative payday. Getting benched is not good for his wallet at all.
The cornerback posted a video of himself working out a couple of weeks ago. In it, he mentioned that he was rededicating himself more than ever because of his family. After all, he is a father now. It isn’t just about his own personal goals. Stevenson has a family to feed. He wants his son to be proud of him when the two eventually reminisce about his career. That is probably why Harris sounds so confident about his progress. He can see the growing maturity and focus in real time.
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The Bears will need him.
Already, they’re having problems at cornerback before OTAs have even started. Jaylon Johnson is staying away from practices. Kyler Gordon is dealing with another injury. It is pretty obvious that Tyrique Stevenson will see significant playing time regardless of whether he beats out rookie Malik Muhammad for the starting job or not. What once looked like an audition for other teams has quietly shifted to a realistic chance to snatch a contract extension in Chicago. That is how uncertain things are with others on the roster.
General manager Ryan Poles is probably thrilled about that. He has always believed Stevenson is capable of being a great player. The talent was never the issue. It was always about developing the focus professionals need. Thanks to Harris’s influence and some mistakes made along the way, the cornerback seems ready to take his game to another level. Such a development would be a great sign for the defense’s overall prospects this season. They have enough things to worry about.
