Welcome to the 2026 Chicago Bears Season Preview on Bears By 7, a player-by-player look at the team's roster and their chances.

First time here? Sign up here for our free Chicago Bears newsletter!

Pro Football Focus gave Tyrique Stevenson a run-defense grade of 85.4 in 2025, a score that ranked him third among all cornerbacks in the NFL. (That’s good.)

Unfortunately, it’s more important for a cornerback to be great defending the pass and Stevenson earned a 59.6 grade in pass-defense, putting him 70th among 114 corners. (That’s bad.)

Simply put, Stevenson’s coverage numbers were a disaster in 2025. He finished 74th out of 75 qualified corners in yards allowed per coverage snap, giving up 40 receptions on 65 targets for 617 yards.

Perhaps his lone standout highlight in 2025 was his forced fumble against Javonte Williams in Week 3 against the Cowboys, a play that finally gave the Bears some momentum after an 0-2 start to the season.

But like other members of the secondary, Stevenson struggled with injuries during the season. He missed four games with a shoulder problem and then a hip injury. Nahshon Wright took advantage of Stevenson’s absence and never gave the job back.

Then there was Week 18. Stevenson was healthy, but was blanked in the snap column against the Lions because Ben Johnson wanted Wright and Jaylon Johnson to get the snaps. Stevenson returned to play in the playoffs, posting a 77.2 PFF grade in the wild card win over Green Bay, second-best among Bears defenders. Then only two assisted tackles in the divisional loss against the Rams and the third season of his career was over.

The Bears have given Stevenson every chance to become a true difference maker in the NFL and now he’s finally down to his last opportunity.