Bears’ Coaching Changes Seem Timely For Tyrique Stevenson

Tyrique Stevenson is getting a fresh start from the Bears’ new coaching staff. But neither Ben Johnson nor anyone else is promising the third-year cornerback that he’ll be the starter opposite Jaylon Johnson when the season rolls around.

Training camp and the three-game exhibition schedule will be huge for Stevenson as he attempts to put his Hail Mary embarrassment behind him. Terell Smith and rookie Zah Frazier are set to step in if Stevenson can’t regain the strut — and ability to defend in man-to-man coverages — he had after returning an interception for a touchdown in the 2024 opener.

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was the biggest addition in a flurry of hires by Johnson and General Manager Ryan Poles. The former Saints and Raiders head coach is regarded as something of a savant, known for both his intelligence and his ability to teach. He will be keeping a close eye on the secondary, with the immediate concerns being safety Jaquan Brisker’s return from concussions and Stevenson’s play at cornerback.

It would be one thing if Stevenson’s lapse on the game-ending play in Washington was an isolated mistake. But the former Miami and Georgia standout has been more inconsistent than the Bears hoped after Poles traded up to get him in the 2023 draft.

Stevenson started 16 games as a rookie and overall has started 30 of 32 games in the NFL. While his first season was similar to Johnson’s 2020 season — after the Bears selected him in the second round from Utah — he did not take a step forward in his second season.

Pro Football Focus ranked Stevenson 80th among qualifying cornerbacks in ’23 and 83rd last season. He likely suffered from a sense of uncertainty playing under two head coaches and defensive coordinators in those seasons, and is looking to quickly become grounded in Allen’s defense, which generally emphasizes press coverage on outside targets.

“It’s mano a mano,” Stevenson told reporters during a June mini-camp. “I’m going to show you I’ve been working and I’m better than you. I feel like that can take a lot of guessing out of the game for the corners.”

More than anything else, Stevenson must like that all the reminders of the Hail Mary play — a tipping point for the 5-12 season — come from fans and media.

“Clean slate from here on out,” new defensive backs coach Al Harris said.

Matt Eberflus benched Stevenson for the start of the next game following the 18-15 loss. Stevenson’s taunting fans when he should have been lining up for the certain Hail Mary stayed in the spotlight when Eberflus was fired midway through a 10-game losing streak that turned a 4-2 start into empty calories.

But Ben Johnson has never mentioned it in meetings with Chicago players.

“I think he learned his lesson from that, and his peers have certainly talked to him about it,” Johnson said. “There really wasn’t any reason for me or the staff to piggyback on that because he’s learned from it, he’s grown from it, and what’s in the past is in the past, and we’re moving forward.”

Albeit with no guarantees.

Smith, a fifth-round pick in the same draft when Stevenson was selected in the second round, has arguably outplayed him but in a limited capacity. He has played only 584 defensive snaps in his backup role while Stevenson has played 1640. That’s a huge difference.

But Smith has made the most of playing time. He was graded out 40th among 127 qualifiers by PFF in his rookie season and, while he didn’t get enough snaps to qualify because of a hip injury, ranked 14th among 223 cornerbacks last season. That’s Marlon Humphrey and Quinyon Mitchell territory, the caveat being the small sample size.

Frazier, a fifth-round pick from Texas-San Antonio, is a bigger corner at 6-3. He’ll turn 25 in October and led the AAC with six interceptions last season. PFF gave him an 85.9 grade, which suggests he is capable of opening eyes in camp.

“The biggest thing is you’ve got a big, long press corner that can run,” Allen said after a rookie camp. “He has got a lot of things that he’s got to learn but he’s got the tools for us to work with.’’

Poles has added veterans Nick McCloud and Nahshon Wright as depth options alongside special-teamers Josh Blackwell and Ameer Speed.

For Allen’s defense, cornerback will be the position to watch this summer at Halas Hall. The joint practices against the Dolphins (Aug. 8) and Bills (Aug. 15) provide the first true tests.

There are major financial consequences for Stevenson. He could set himself up as a long-term piece of the defense with a strong bounce-back under the new coaches. His head should be in the game on every snap this time around.