Getty Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears have a handful of rookies who should contribute meaningfully this season, though perhaps none as much as cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.
Stevenson capped an exceptional preseason on Saturday, August 26, by recording his first NFL interception during a matchup against the Buffalo Bills. He added three tackles and a defensed pass, per ESPN statistics.
Interception for Bears rookie second-round pick Tyrique Stevenson!
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“Interception for Bears rookie second-round pick Tyrique Stevenson,” the NFL’s official account posted on X, the social media website formerly known as Twitter, as the caption to a video of Stevenson’s play.
Stevenson has been locked for months in a battle for the second starting cornerback spot with 2022 starter Kyler Gordon and fellow rookie Terell Smith. While Smith also had a nice game in the team’s preseason finale with five tackles including one for loss, injury issues over the last several weeks have him taking a firm backseat to Stevenson.
Since preseason games began, the cornerback job alongside No. 1 option Jaylon Johnson appeared to be Stevenson’s to lose. However, instead of losing it against the Bills, he secured his first professional pick and likely the role of starter in the Bears secondary to go along with it.
Tyrique Stevenson Draws Comparison to Bears Great Charles Tillman
GettyFormer Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman retired from the NFL after the 2015 season.
Stevenson has been impressing with physical play since the beginning of organized team work in May. On August 23, Adam Jahns of The Athletic predicted that Stevenson would win a starting spot in Chicago’s defensive backfield.
“[Bears DB coach Jon] Hoke was asked if Stevenson reminded him of anyone he has coached in his career. Former Bears cornerback Charles Tillman came to mind. But Stevenson is different. He talks too much,” Jahns wrote. “Stevenson’s trash-talking skills shouldn’t overshadow his talent and improvement on the field.”
Stevenson’s intensity is a weapon if harnessed, though it is a double-edged sword. Case in point, the cornerback picked up a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness during Chicago’s second preseason contest against the Indianapolis Colts on August 19.
“I like his physical style of play,” Hoke told Jahns. “You can’t have penalties. But he does have a physical presence on the field. Obviously, his size helps him in those things. But he also has his mindset. He’s a physical type of football player, and that’s always welcome here.”
Tyrique Steveson Key Cog in Revamped Bears Secondary, Defense
GettySafety A.J. Thomas (left) and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (right) of the Chicago Bears celebrate after an interception during an NFL preseason game against the Buffalo Bills in August 2023.
Stevenson is not sending Gordon into unemployment, as the 2022 second-round pick figures to move into the nickel slot. The new pecking order in the Bears’ secondary still poses some questions about what the unit can accomplish in 2023, but it’s certainly tougher and deeper than it was one season ago.
Gordon is now the nickel corner rather than a regular starter on the outside, with Smith added to the fold as a top reserve. Both starting safeties from last year are also returning in Jaquan Brisker and veteran Eddie Jackson. Brisker has impressed during camp and appears ready to take another leap forward after proving himself one of the better defensive players on the Bears’ roster a year ago.
No one is saying Chicago will field the top secondary in the NFL this season, but the addition of defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker should provide more than the league-worst 20 sacks the Bears produced in 2022, easing the burden on a defensive backfield that is considerably more talented and experienced than it was last season.