Chicago Bears Make Their Stance on Tyrique Stevenson Crystal Clear
Bears assistant GM Jeff King backs Tyrique Stevenson’s development, pointing to flashes of upside as Chicago keeps faith in its young cornerback.
The Chicago Bears still have high hopes for fourth-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.
Assistant GM Jeff King made that clear during the team’s pre-draft press conference. He addressed the media in place of general manager Ryan Poles, continuing Poles’ approach of giving his front office exposure and leadership opportunities.
King described Stevenson as a young player still developing at the NFL level.
"Tyrique's no different than every young player in this league. He's had ups. He's had his moments of downs. It's our charge to help him through those. He's made some great plays. Probably the fumble vs. Dallas changed the trajectory of that game, very early in that game," King said. "We're never going to put a ceiling on a guy's upside. We're not gonna put Tyrique in a box and say, 'You're gonna be this.'
"He's still growing. He's still learning. He's shown those flashes of being a great player, and we have a lot hope that through this offseason that he's gonna get there. We saw him in the building yesterday. He looks great. He's done a really good job this spring of getting in shape."
Bears Banking on Tyrique Stevenson to Take Next Step in 2026
Stevenson started 10 games in 2025, the fewest of his career. He finished with 49 tackles and one interception, both career lows. Still, he flashed the playmaking ability that led the Bears to draft him in the second round out of Miami in 2023.
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Chicago will enter the 2026 season with a strong cornerback trio: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Stevenson. That group has the potential to anchor one of the defense’s strengths if it stays healthy.
For the secondary to reach that level, Stevenson must take the next step. The Bears are betting he will. He does not need to lead the unit. He needs to build on the flashes he has already shown. If he does, Chicago’s cornerback room can rise from solid to one of the NFC’s better groups.
