Playing opposite one of the best cornerbacks in the league is not an easy task, and Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson felt that bullseye from opposing offenses in 2024.
Last season was going to be a big one for Stevenson, and injuries to Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Terell Smith left him as the most experienced cornerback on the roster a good portion of the time.
But any idea of a breakout campaign for Stevenson was hampered by a run of midseason injuries, and after that, his role was greatly diminished. He was effectively benched for the regular season finale, despite Johnson obviously not being at full strength after having core muscle surgery.
Bears should have no trouble replacing Tyrique Stevenson
Nic Bodiford of Pro Football Focus has spotlighted the four worst perimeter cornerbacks from last season based on a collection of the site's data. Stevenson started the list, with the presumption of being anointed as the worst of the quartet.
"Stevenson made three appearances in the weekly wide receiver matchups column, yielding overall half-PPR WR15, WR25 and WR30 results. Stevenson was eventually relegated to a rotational perimeter role after midseason shoulder, calf and hip injuries jeopardized his availability, while his teammates enjoyed successful rehab programs. The underperforming cornerback earned a 66.2 PFF defense grade, buoyed by an 83.2 PFF run-defense grade, ranking 31st and seventh, respectively, among 71 NFL cornerbacks with at least 600 defensive snaps."
"Opposing quarterbacks relentlessly picked on Stevenson, who freely surrenders fantasy-friendly yardage productivity."
Among the 75 cornerbacks with at least 375 coverage snaps last season, Stevenson was 73rd in rate of explosive plays allowed (4.2 percent), 74th in yards allowed per coverage snap (1.73), and 69th in targeted rate (18.2 percent). He was no better than roughly mid-pack of that group of cornerbacks in any category, Bodiford noted, with a best of 29th out of the 75 in forced incompletion rate.
Bodiford finishes his analysis of Stevenson by outlining the fairly clean path the Bears have to part ways with him this offseason.
"Stevenson’s contract includes only $422,637 in dead money this season. Chicago’s front office can save $3.6 million by releasing him. His status as a 2023 second-round pick could get him a starting role elsewhere, in this scenario. Should Stevenson return to the starting ranks, he will again be a prominent figure in the target-worthy matchups."Â
Read more: Bears won't make it easy for interested teams to trade for Tyson Bagent
The Bears could end up giving Stevenson one last shot if they're lined up to lose Nahshon Wright in free agency. But there's no reason to believe he'll suddenly become a consistent, starting-caliber cornerback in Year 4, and replacing him should not be difficult regardless of other circumstances.