Tyrique Stevenson 'quickly' grabbed first-team reps with Chicago Bears

Last year, the Chicago Bears allowed the second-most passing yards in the NFL as the defense struggled. That led them to address the secondary during the NFL Draft, adding former Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in the second round.

So far, he’s making quite the impression — and even worked his way into first-team reps during OTAs, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

“This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given Stevenson was drafted in the second round, but the rookie quickly grabbed hold of first-team reps this spring and looks primed to start opposite Jaylon Johnson,” Cronin wrote. “The former Miami standout’s confidence is ‘a little bit ahead’ of a typical rookie, according to coach Matt Eberflus, which has helped solidify the Bears’ secondary. The corner made a handful of plays, including an interception in OTAs, while impressing coaches with how fast he has picked up the defense.”

Bears cornerback coach Jon Hoke also explained what stood out about Stevenson through workouts, and it sounds like he caught on to the system quickly.

“Really excited about how in two days he’s kind of figured out some of the concepts we try to teach and understand those,” Hoke said, via Cronin.

Stevenson is joining forces with Johnson, who was impressive last season at cornerback. He allowed 46 targets and just 27 receptions in coverage even as the Bears struggled on defense. If Stevenson can create headaches on the other side, Chicago could have a strong duo at cornerback in 2023.

What the Chicago Bears are getting in Tyrique Stevenson

Stevenson is coming off a solid senior season. He totaled 25 tackles, seven pass deflections and a career-high two interceptions in his lone season in Kevin Steele’s system. On the whole, he had 115 tackles, 21 pass deflections and three interceptions with Miami.

Although he fell into the second round, Stevenson still impressed during the pre-draft process. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein offered his scouting report ahead of the draft and made the case for Stevenson to be a starter in the league.

“Big cornerback with the size and play strength to help match up with bigger receivers in the league,” Zierlein wrote. “Stevenson is patient but physical in press-man and has good recovery speed when he falls behind. He struggles as a pattern matcher in off-man and had issues with busts in zone, so he might be scheme-dependent. Stevenson is talented when attacking the catch point and has the ball skills to make plays on 50/50 throws. He needs to become more consistent in run support but has the physical attributes to become a starter in a press-man scheme.”