Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
The Chicago Bears continue to have high expectations for second-round rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson heading into 2023, but his second preseason performance on August 19 against the Indianapolis Colts was marked by potholes and learning experiences that earned him a little discipline from his head coach.
Stevenson got pulled to the sideline for an intense conversation with head coach Matt Eberflus after a play late in first quarter for which he drew a late-hit penalty for throwing Colts running back Kenyan Drake to the ground out of bounds.
“I coached him on a couple things, but first was the penalty,” Eberflus told reporters after the 24-17 loss. “I told him, ‘Hey, when you get to the sideline like that. … He goes, ‘Well, my hand got caught in his shoulder pad,’ or whatever it was, and that may be the case, but you have to do whatever you have to do to let go of that. If you throw a guy down like that, they’re going to call that 10 out of 10 times, and that’s gonna hurt our team.”
Stevenson gets it. His aggressive, old-school style of play is one of the main reasons the Bears traded up to get him at No. 56 overall in the draft, but it is an asset that must be reined in at times to avoid unnecessary penalties, especially if the Bears are going to count on him to play a starting role in their secondary this season.
“Just be a little bit smarter [was his message],” Stevenson said of his sideline chat with Eberflus, according to Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I could have been better with my head across the ball, so I could see where I was on the field. Once I looked up and he was heading to the ground, I realized we were in the white. So just gotta be a better rookie and [make] smarter plays and not cause the team any harmful penalties.”
Tyrique Stevenson Deems Missed INT ‘Unacceptable’
Stevenson also endured another rookie moment in the second quarter when he allowed a would-be interception to pass through his hands and fall right into the clutches of wideout Juwann Winfree for a 4-yard touchdown that tied the game at 7-all.
It was the second time in as many preseason games that Stevenson missed an opportunity to make an easy interception, mistakes the rookie deems “unacceptable.”
“Definitely did,” Stevenson said when asked if he just missed the ball, according to Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago. “Back to the drawing board. Two weeks in a row, two dropped interceptions. It’s really unacceptable. So back on the jugs after practice every day.
“It was everything was happening too fast,” Stevenson added. “I just looked up, and the ball was coming, and just happened to not shoot my hands up fast enough. I should have went up straightforward instead of trying to corral and catch the ball.”
Has Stevenson Clinched CB2 Job Over Terell Smith?
Stevenson has been fighting all summer long to win the second outside cornerback job opposite Jaylon Johnson in the starting lineup, but his biggest competition — fellow rookie and fifth-round pick Terell Smith — only just made his NFL debut against the Colts on Saturday night and could set up an interesting final week of the preseason.
The Bears have been splitting first-team reps between Stevenson and Smith throughout the past several weeks of training camp, determined to have them duke it out for the available starting job. Both rookies have made plays during the open-to-media practices, but Stevenson seemingly gained an edge with his strong performance in the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans and with Smith on the sidelines.
Smith got a chance to turn his prospects back in his favor on Saturday against the Colts, but he mostly went unnoticed over his 13 total defensive snaps. Now, the Colts did not target him in coverage, so it would be unfair to say he missed his opportunities. Still, it was the second time in two weeks that Stevenson made his presence known, even if there were plenty of mistakes that the latter needs to clean up moving forward.
“It’s a competition until the end,” Stevenson said on August 1. “We both got drafted. For opportunities, it really doesn’t matter where you got drafted at. He comes in every day with his head down willing to work, just as I am.”