You knew this name was going to be on the list, didn’t you?
We’ve reached the top three names in our top ten countdown of the 10 Chicago Bears with the most to prove in 2025.
A few fans have expressed some surprise with a few of the names on the list, but I don’t think there’s one Bears fan who would argue that the name that comes in at number three should be on the list and should be high on the list.
The seven names we’ve unveiled so far are Roschon Johnson, Jaquan Brisker, Gervon Dexter, Cole Kmet, Tremaine Edmunds, Left Tackle (Braxton Jones, Kiran Amedgadjie, Ozzy Trapilo), and Montez Sweat.
Number three is Tyrique Stevenson.
After Stevenson’s rookie year in 2023, the arrow was pointing up for the Bears’ young defensive back. Stevenson nabbed four interceptions as a rookie, was inconsistent in coverage, but showed ability to impress in press man coverage, and consistently came up on running plays to play the run and show he wasn’t afraid of contact.
When the 2024 season got underway, Stevenson got off to a hot start, returning an interception for a touchdown in week one against the Tennessee Titans that would prove to be the winning score for the Bears.
Stevenson struggled against Nico Collins in week two but turned in several solid performances in a row after that, heading into the bye week.
What happened on the other side of the bye week was nothing short of a debacle. Against the Washington Commanders, Stevenson was torched down the sidelines for a huge gain against Terry McLaurin and then, of course, we know the story. Stevenson was busy taunting the fans in the corner of the field rather than being focused on the game, tried to get in position after the play started, tipped the ball up rather than batted it down, and the ball fluttered into the hands of Noah Brown for a season-crushing Hail Mary touchdown.
Stevenson eventually addressed the media after the incident and said he was immature and he would grown from that situation, yet weeks later, we saw a play where Stevenson tried to trip the Lions’ Jameson Williams on a sideline play (when Stevenson was NOT playing, and just on the sidelines) which resulted in a fine from the NFL.
Matt Eberflus/Thomas Brown and the coaching staff decided the best course of action with Stevenson wasn’t to bench him, but to reduce his snap counts for the rest of the season. The Bears put him in a rotation with Terell Smith for most of the rest of the season.
Personally, I don’t really know what that accomplished, but the calendar has turned to 2025, and we, as fans, try to put all of that behind us.
Stevenson enters this year with a giant question mark over his head. Will he become an aggressive, sticky cornerback that should be a key piece of Dennis Allen’s defense moving forward (a defensive scheme that should highlight what Stevenson does best), or will he continue to be a talented but immature player who continues to let his emotions dictate his play?
This particular article isn’t about Stevenson needing to stave off Terell Smith or Zah Frazier. This isn’t an article about Stevenson needing to improve certain aspects of his footwork or improve his form tackling. Sure, there are parts of Stevenson’s game that need to improve, but this is a question about Stevenson’s maturity and if he can do what is needed of him to succeed at this level.
It’s not even speculation at this point anymore; we know that the coaching staff last year significantly failed in holding players accountable. Players went to Ryan Poles and asked him that the next coaching staff hold players more accountable.
So far in spring practices, we have certainly seen a significant increase in just that. When a coaching staff asks a lot more of a player, there’s rarely a gray area. Either the player steps up and appreciates the added push and pressure and responds, or the player gets frustrated by the harder coaching and shuts down.
Who will Tyrique Stevenson be in 2025? If he doesn’t respond to harder coaching, the Bears will have a cornerback who may lose his starting job altogether and find himself on a new team as early as 2026, definitely by 2027.
If he responds to this coaching staff, Stevenson could develop and create an incredible corner trio with Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. If he plays at an elite level, we will start having the question of whether or not the Bears can afford to pay Stevenson next offseason after already paying Johnson and Gordon, and we will have this offseason’s conversation long in the rearview mirror.
2025 is an interesting year for Stevenson. We will learn a lot about who he is as a player and a person and how he fits into the team’s long-term plans.