Tyrique Stevenson’s Rough Bears OTA Start Could Open Door for Malik Muhammad

Tyrique Stevenson hasn't been the same since he gave up a stunning Hail Mary touchdown in the Bears' loss to the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL season. He spent much of last year on the sidelines, but roster turnover this offseason presented him with a chance to win back the CB2 job. However, his march back to playing time has started inauspiciously.

During Thursday's OTA practice, Caleb Williams uncorked a highlight throw to Rome Odunze, who caught the 67-yard pass and carried it into the endzone. In that same practice, Williams hit rookie Zavion Thomas, who was declared the star rookie of the day by CHGO's Mark Carman, along the left sideline on a 50-yard pass that was also carried into the endzone. In both plays, the defender who got burned in coverage was none other than Stevenson.

How Tyrique Stevenson came to the roster bubble

It wasn't long ago that Stevenson was a promising rookie himself. He ended the 2023 season with a respectable 64.4 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade, but his career trajectory began to unravel in 2024 with the aforementioned Hail Mary. By 2025, he wasn't even seeing the field much as the Bears turned to Nahshon Wright, a former practice squad castoff from the Minnesota Vikings.

But with Wright departing in free agency and the Bears waiving Zah Frazier during rookie minicamp, Stevenson had a shot at redemption. To be clear, he still has a shot at redemption. The offseason training program has just started, after all. But for a player who was already in the doghouse, he hasn't exactly covered himself in glory so far.

Now, Stevenson sits firmly on the roster bubble and his situation will only get worse if rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad shows out in training camp.

Stevenson's struggles magnified in OTA drills

In fairness to Stevenson, the Bears are running drills at OTA practices. It's a mix of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11, with the former tilted heavily in favor of the offense because there's no pass rush to disrupt the timing of a play. However, a fourth-year cornerback should still be playing at a higher level than Stevenson is, and his weaknesses in coverage, especially to blistering speed, are being magnified during these sessions.

This is a problem that dates all the way back to college for Stevenson. He graded fairly well as a prospect, but he showed major deficiencies in defending speedy receivers and diagnosing what the offense is doing. Those struggles have continued in the NFL, and guarding the likes of Rome Odunze and Zavion Thomas in a masterful offensive scheme appears to be overwhelming him.

There's a long way yet to go even before we get to training camp in July and preseason games in August. Stevenson still has time to prove to his coaches that he's ready for an increased workload and to pick up where Nahshon Wright left off. But he's off to a poor start, and this will be a situation that Bears fans should monitor closely. If Stevenson continues to struggle, the calls to start the exciting fourth-round rookie from Texas will only amplify.

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