There's a lot of moments that define a person. Unfortunately for Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, that's always going to be the Hail Mary against the Washington Commanders last year.
Up 15-12 on the final play of the game, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels pulled off a miracle by hitting Noah Brown in the end zone for the touchdown with no time left to beat the Bears. It was after the game that would sting even more for Bears fans as a video surfaced with Stevenson waving at the Commanders crowd while the playing was happening. While he was there to try to bat the ball down, many wondered if he was paying attention if a different outcome would have happened.
Since that moment, that play has followed Stevenson around as he was the center of mockery and plenty of justified criticism. Moments like that can either break a person or force to grow in the right direction.
Stevenson didn't use that moment as a crutch and grew from it. His teammate, Bears safety Kevin Byard, noticed that change in Stevenson after that moment.
“Out of anybody in this locker room,” Byard said via The Athletic. “I’ve seen such an incredible jump from Tyrique as far as his mentality. He has dealt with the adversity of last year. And he’s showing belief in himself to attack this growth process.
“I’m not going to stand here and say he’s made a 180-degree turn. But he has made a concerted effort to make sure he isn’t defined by one play.”
Stevenson has stepped up in a big way in 2025
The first two games of the regular season were not particularly great for Stevenson as he had some tough competition going up against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions offenses. He has to play those with Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon with him.
After the Lions game, a spark ignited in Stevenson and has played some stellar football since. In their Week 4 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Stevenson nabbed an interception and posted a PFF coverage grade of 92.7. Quite the turnaround from his 37.3 coverage grade against the Lions.
Chicago has leaned heavily on Stevenson to step up with multiple injuries around him, and he has answered the call. The good news is that he's got reinforcement coming in with Gordon, who is expecting to play on Monday night against the Washington Commanders.
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Just because Gordon is back doesn't mean Stevenson's job doesn't change with going up against top receivers in the NFL. He appears to not be afraid of that task.