Tyrique Stevenson hasn't always had the smoothest tenure with the Chicago Bears. But it's easy to let specific demonstrations of lapses in judgment or other second-year struggles back in 2024 get in the way of the perception of a player that actually improved considerably in 2025.
After grading as the league's 86th-ranked (of 117) cornerback two years ago, Stevenson worked his way up to 50th last season with an overall grade of 64.4 from Pro Football Focus. Much of that, however, was pinned down by a 70th-ranked grade in coverage (59.6), despite an 85.5 run defense grade that had him third at the position. Even that former number was, technically, an improvement from the year prior.
Regardless of Stevenson's upside or limitations (the spectrum
of which fans have seen both sides across his three seasons), this is a player obsessed with exactly one thing.
“I wake up with the ball in my mind,” Stevenson said. “Shout out to [coach] Al [Harris], just mentally making it ball conscious. I think that just comes from I’m looking for it, and every chance I can get my hands on it, I’m going to get it.”
The pursuit of turnovers isn't necessarily a new concept to a Chicago Bears defense, but it certainly took on a new form in 2025, as the team ranked atop the league with their 33 turnovers forced. Stevenson is certainly embracing the mindset that could have him primed to be a contributor on that side in 2026:
“The little things matter," Stevenson said. "How you do the little things is how you do everything. From when I wake up in the morning till I go to bed at night, just be intentional about everything, and always do everything with something with a purpose. I think that’s going to translate to off the field things and on the field.”
Such a mindset is important for two reasons. The first is that Stevenson represents a player trying to establish himself as a consistent presence in the secondary. After a four-interception rookie year in 2023, he's totaled just three since (in addition to some of the struggles we've seen from a broader performance standpoint). The other is that this is a defense that is going to need to find ways in which to generate turnovers. On paper, questions persist about this group in a way that the defense driving turnover margin would help to mitigate.
Stevenson reemerging as a reliable presence on the back end would certainly help that concept.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson is obsessed with getting the football
