Chicago Bears coach not holding Tyrique Stevenson accountable publicly for taunting on Hail Mary

Eberflus said he would not reveal his decision on that potential punishment for the second-year cornerback, specifically if Stevenson would start against the Cardinals. The third-year head coach praised Stevenson for his playmaking abilities over the last two seasons.

“We’re behind Tyrique and we’re with him all the way,” Eberflus said.

Eberflus was asked if it would send a message to the locker room that certain impact players can get away with not adhering to the H.I.T.S philosophy if the Bears decided to let Stevenson go unpunished. Eberflus said Stevenson already suffered a punishment.

“The consequence was that we lost the game,” Eberflus said.

Eberflus appeared to be afraid to speak out against a talented player in a locker room that was busy Sunday and Monday criticizing their head coach for poor decisions during the team’s third loss of the season. Instead, Eberflus deflected by saying that he spoke to Stevenson one-on-one, in the same manner he believes players should address him with frustrations about his questionable in-game decisions (like signing off on giving a 320-pound lineman the ball at the goal line or purposely letting the Commanders get into Hail Mary range).

Eberflus can’t afford to make more enemies on the Bears roster. After going 14-27 with Chicago, he could easily lose the locker room by making a move that alienates a player for making a boneheaded decision one play after Eberflus made a questionable choice on a play he believes “didn’t really matter.”

That’s the state of the Bears “head coach” situation in 2024 with a rookie quarterback watching.