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Column: Chicago Bears showed confidence in Tyrique Stevenson. Now, he has to be more consistent.
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- Column: Chicago Bears showed confidence in Tyrique Stevenson. Now, he has to be more consistent.
If the Chicago Bears wanted to retain Nahshon Wright after his five-interception season, surely they could have fit him into the budget.
The cornerback, who was one of the better development stories for a guy who seemed to appear out of nowhere a year ago, wound up signing a $3.5 million, one-year contract with the New York Jets that includes $2 million in incentives.
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Maybe the Bears would have had to pony up a little more to keep him, but his market wasn't prohibitive for the team even in an offseason when they were pretty measured in free agency. When the team didn't re-sign Wright and waited until the fourth round of the draft to choose cornerback Malik Muhammad , the veteran beneficiary became Tyrique Stevenson.
"Whatever they do, that's on them," Stevenson said when asked if he was paying attention to offseason roster movement. "The best thing I can do is just show up here, be available, be a team guy and do my job."
Now, the 2023 second-round draft pick, who is entering a contract year, has everything right in front of him. There's a starting job that has to be won and an opportunity to build out his resume before free agency.
For Stevenson, looking into the future isn't advisable given that the one thing the coaching staff (and the previous staff) is working to get out of him is consistency. Not just from one game to the next or one practice to the next. Sometimes from one play to the next.
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If Stevenson can accomplish that, if he can put more space between the hiccups that occur naturally, it will be interesting to see how he develops with 40 NFL starts already under his belt. From a skill perspective, Stevenson has everything the Bears or any other team seeking a cornerback desires. He's a good size for the position at 6-foot, 212 pounds and 32 3/8-inch arms. He's tough, willing to tackle and most importantly, he can cover.
Stevenson was the NFC defensive player of the week after the 2024 season opener when he had a pick-six against the Tennessee Titans. There was the Hail Mary play at Washington a few weeks later, a regrettable shortcoming that doesn't need to be re-litigated. He was fined for tripping Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams later that season.
He made the play that turned around the Week 3 win over Dallas last season when he punched the ball out from Cowboys running back Javonte Williams to force a turnover. A few weeks later, Stevenson was beaten time and again by Cincinnati quarterback Joe Flacco in a high-scoring affair against the Bengals.
Stevenson just can't seem to get out of his own way at times.
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"I don't know if I have really thought about who can he become," defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said last week. "I think he can be a starting-caliber corner in our league and I think he can be a starting-caliber corner for us.
"Tyrique needs to be more consistent. I can make you a tape of Tyrique from last season that you would look at and say, 'Woo, that's pretty good.' But it's the lapses in consistency that we have to improve on."
At some level, there has to be a belief that Stevenson can be a breakthrough player for secondary coach Al Harris like Wright was. Otherwise, the team would have made some different personnel moves — and it's notable that Stevenson was the odd man out near the end of last season. He missed Weeks 13 and 14 with a minor hip injury and in the final four games he appeared , he got only 90 snaps, an average of 22.5 per game. Stevenson dressed for the season finale against the Detroit Lions but did not appear on defense, with the coaching staff opting to roll with Wright and Jaylon Johnson.
Stevenson has been running with the starters through the first five practices and while he hasn't won anything, he's atop a depth chart written in pencil .
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"It's really the focus level from being in the building, paying attention in meetings and continuing to apply that on the field throughout a two-plus hour practice," coach Ben Johnson said. "I think we've seen strides there. It's certainly improving and continuing to improve. He knows it. And so we're pretty happy with where he's at."
Stevenson said earlier this offseason he doesn't want his young son to Google his name and have the Hail Mary play against the Commanders be the first thing the search engine returns. He can control that if he takes his game to a higher level and that's just part of what makes this camp and preseason a huge opportunity for him.
"I feel like every chance you get to step on an NFL field is an opportunity," he said. "So I'm always looking at every down I come out there, it's an opportunity for me to lose it or keep it. Not really looking at anything else outside of me just coming in the building, connecting with the coaches, getting their trust and getting our trust the same and just coming out here being the best player I can be."
In terms of stuff down the road and it being a contract year, Stevenson chose the path that is no doubt best for him. Some guys, like teammate Jaylon Johnson, aren't shy when it comes to talking about chances to make money. They dangle the carrot in front of themselves and they go for it.
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"Honestly, I'm not like a real down-the-road thinker," Stevenson said. "I want to come in here and my goal is to be the best corner on this team aside from Jaylon and just help this team win. I feel like me doing that and being a selfless guy for this team, everything will work itself out."
Maybe the message that he needs to be more consistent in the moment has reached home.
