Tyrique Stevenson’s second act with the Chicago Bears is starting to look like the breakout the team hoped for when they took him in Round 2 in 2023.
Stevenson is a huge reason the team’s secondary has been one of the better units on defense, which is saying something considering Chicago’s best cornerback, Jaylon Johnson, has been out after having core muscle surgery.
After wrapping up their bye week, the Bears are set to face the Washington Commanders next — a game that’ll be huge for Stevenson. In a now–infamous moment during the 2024 season, Stevenson became the subject of national scrutiny after a viral gaffe at Washington. On the final play — a 52-yard Hail Mary from Commanders QB Jayden Daniels — Stevenson was caught on camera taunting the Washington crowd, with his back turned just as the ball was snapped.
Belatedly reacting, the Bears CB tipped the pass he was supposed to defend, and the deflection fell into the hands of Washington’s Noah Brown for the game-winning touchdown. This week’s game will give Stevenson a huge opportunity to rewrite his own narrative, and Johnson wants to see his teammate do just that.
Jaylon Johnson on Tyrique Stevenson: You Can See a Switch Has Flipped
GettyJaylon Johnson said something has clicked inside Tyrique Stevenson.
Stevenson had a rough start this season. He was flagged three times in the first three weeks (one DPI and two illegal contacts), and Week 2 at Detroit, Pro Football Focus gave him a paltry 37.3 coverage grade.
But Week 3 against Dallas, he turned it around. In the first quarter, Stevenson punched the ball out for a takeaway and broke up two passes in a 31-14 win. He followed that up with his best game of the year in Las Vegas, allowing just one catch on four targets for seven yards, adding two PBUs and a diving interception to help seal a 25-24 road win. Through four games, Stevenson has a 75.4 overall PFF grade (16th among 169 qualifying CBs) with a 90.0 run-defense grade, which is ranked 2nd at the position.
In an October 6 appearance on 670 The Score’s “Spiegel & Holmes Show,” Johnson spoke about what he’s seen from Stevenson of late.
“You can kind of see a switch that flipped in his head, I would say, since the Dallas game,” Johnson said about Stevenson. “Just starting with the forced fumble and just really the aggression of what you see in and out, kind of just seeing the way that he moves around, the way that he makes plays is definitely something that, for myself, is beautiful to see because that’s something I’ve been wanting him to do since he came into the building to really flip that switch. He can be dominant when he gets his mind on that level. So for me, it’s beautiful.”
Johnson also issued a bit of a challenge to Stevenson: “I want to see him continue to do that throughout the year and continue to make those plays at a high level.”
Johnson Also had a Message for DB Josh Blackwell After Raiders Game
Late in the Bears’ Week 4 win over the Raiders, Bears defensive back Josh Blackwell made a game-saving play by blocking what would have been a 54-yard go-ahead field goal from Daniel Carlson with 33 seconds left. He burst off the edge, dove and deflected the kick, preserving Chicago’s one-point lead and sealing the victory.
Johnson revealed that prior to Blackwell’s game-saving play, he was having a very bad case of déjà vu.
“I feel like they played a heck of a game, and then it kind of just really got to the end, and it was like one of those: ‘Here we go again’ moments,” Johnson said. “Then when Blackwell blocked the kick, it was like, man, thank God, we can be on the other side of it. I shot Josh a text after, like: ‘Thank you for saving us.’ … it’s really a beautiful thing to see, the DB room making plays.”
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