Bears Rookie Report Card: Evaluating Tyrique Stevenson's first season in Chicago

The Chicago Bears secondary is in good hands regardless of the future of All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson thanks to the drafting and development of the young defenders put in place by general manager Ryan Poles.

Leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, I have been taking a look back at the Bears' 2023 draft class and analyzing how each pick performed during their first season in Chicago. So far, I've covered right tackle Darnell Wright and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter. Today, the focus will be on cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.

The Bears drafted Stevenson with the 56th overall pick in the second-round, three picks after selecting Dexter. Poles traded up with the Jacksonville Jaguars to secure the former Miami defender, shipping away the 61st and 136th picks in the draft.

Tyrique Stevenson 2023 Season Overview

Stevenson's rookie campaign began with a rough start after getting thrown into the fire early in his career. Stevenson started all 16 games he played in 2023 and only missed one contest in Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings. 

Stevenson was tasked with defending the boundary on his own against opposing top wide receivers and even had to step up as the team's number one outside cornerback in Weeks 4-5 when Johnson was forced to sit out due to injury.

The trail by fire is always the full proof way to determine whether or not a player is ready for the next level and Stevenson showed he was more than ready to make the leap. However, it didn’t come easy and there were a few bumps along the way. By the end of the season, Stevenson showed enough confidence at the position that he become a long-term starter on the outside for the Bears.

2023 Snap Counts and Stats

Even though he started each of the 16 contests he played, Stevenson still rotated on and off the field with fellow rookie Terell Smith and other cornerbacks on the roster at times. Overall, Stevenson finished the season playing 82.6 percent of the team's defensive snaps in games he appeared in. Stevenson played 100 percent of the Bears' defensive snaps in six different games.

Stevenson finished the season tied for a team-high with four interceptions, a number that ranked first among all rookies in 2023. His 13 pass breakups also ranked first among rookie defenders. On the flip side, Stevenson also allowed the most receptions (72), receiving yards (836) and touchdowns (9) among rookie defenders in coverage, per Pro Football Focus. But, his 110 targets were the fifth-most among ALL defenders in 2023.

There's definitely good and bad things about playing opposite of an All-Pro cornerback as a rookie. The bad thing: opposing quarterbacks and play-callers are going to look your way more often than not.

Stevenson's highest grade game came against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 where he finished with a 90.5 overall grade and a 91.3 coverage grade, per PFF. Stevenson was targeted six times allowing two receptions for 28 yards with two interceptions. He allowed a 9.7 pass rating in coverage, by comparison, a quarterback spiking the ball every play would finish with a 35.6 passer rating. Stevenson's efforts in Week 17 earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

His lowest graded game came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 where he was forced to line up against wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Stevenson finished the game with a 36.1 overall grade and a 36.2 coverage grade after allowing 143 receiving yards, one touchdown, and a 156.3 passer rating in coverage.

Notable Plays

Stevenson's first career interception came against the Detroit Lions in Week 11 after picking off quarterback Jared Goff in the first quarter.