Tyrique Stevenson is prepared to bring even more motivation to his game going into a pivotal fourth season with the Bears
The Chicago Bears cornerback will be vying for a starting opportunity once again.
The 2026 season will be a big prove-it year for multiple Chicago Bears players, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, going into the second season under Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen.
One player that certainly fits into that bucket is cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Stevenson is entering into the fourth and final year of his rookie contract after being selected in the second-round of the 2023 NFL Draft and still is having to prove himself as a consistent defender.
Stevenson lost favor from the staff in 2025 after having a solid start to the season with Nahshon Wright becoming a more featured cornerback on the outside. After Wright walked in free agency, a starting spot is for the taking opposite Jaylon Johnson and Stevenson can easily reclaim that role this upcoming season if he puts in the work, and he has more motivation than ever.
Tyrique Stevenson has plenty of motivation going into his fourth season with the Bears
Going into a contract season comes with its own motivation. Players in that situation want to show out and earn an extension with their current team or show out for the other 31 teams before hitting the market. For Stevenson, there’s even more motivation to step his game up going into 2026.
“This [expletive] here about to be dangerous,” Stevenson said on his Instagram story. “I’m telling you. I’m coming back for everything. The last two years, I put that on me. This year, this [expletive] for my son. I promise you. I promise you.”
Stevenson’s son was born in April of 2025 and was on the field for the first time at a game when he was five-months-old when the Bears faced the Dallas Cowboys last season, which happened to be one of the biggest games of Stevenson’s career that included a clutch forced fumble in the first quarter.
It was the highlight of the season for Stevenson, but things started to go the other direction after getting his play-time cut as the season progressed.
“It’s about consistency with him,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen explained last season. “And so that’s kind of what our challenge is each and every day to him, to be a consistent worker, consistent physically, mentally. Because he’s got the talent to be able to do it. It’s really about consistency, and I saw improvement in that area.”
In that game against the Cowboys, the Bears staff saw the real potential first-hand that Stevenson could bring to Chicago’s defense. He has the ability to be a big-time player for the Bears if he can just put all of the pieces together.
“There are times when he looks like a Pro Bowl-type player,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said. “And there’s other times where he’ll let his guard down just a little bit.”
Stevenson is someone the staff is likely eager to start working with again after letting Wright walk but they’re not just going to hand him a starting position, he’ll have to earn it. And I fully expect the Bears to add another player to the position, likely in the 2026 NFL Draft, to add more competition.
Other players already on the roster vying for the starting gig on the outside include 2025 fifth-round pick Zah Frazier, who’s set to rejoin the team after missing his entire rookie season, and Terell Smith, who missed the 2025 season with a torn patellar tendon.
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