Tyrique Stevenson Already Loves Dennis Allen More Than Matt Eberflus

Tyrique Stevenson should have a particular affection for Matt Eberflus. After all, the former Chicago Bears head coach pushed to draft the former Miami cornerback two years ago and helped Stevenson develop into a starter. However, Eberflus' exit from the organization involved him not doing much to shield the cornerback from the media scrutiny that followed his disastrous mistake in Washington with the Hail Mary. While Stevenson deserved plenty of criticism for that, he is right to still feel Eberflus should've supported him.

Then there is the issue with the defense itself. Some were confused when the Bears drafted Stevenson in 2023. They didn't doubt the talent. They were more concerned about the fit. Eberflus ran a classic variation of the Tampa-2, which is a zone-heavy scheme. Most draft experts felt that the style of defense didn't fit Stevenson due to his slow diagnostic skills. He's much better as a man cover corner, lining up one-on-one against receivers. That might explain why he sounded so enthusiastic about new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's system.

"Most of the defense for the corners is man on man so it’s mano y mano, I’m going to show you I’ve been working and I’m better than you. I feel like that can take a lot of guessing out of the game for the corners."

Tyrique Stevenson has shown he can thrive in man coverage.

He played 65 snaps in that alignment last year. Opposing quarterbacks targeted him 15 times, completed eight passes for 124 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Conversely, he was targeted 62 times in zone, allowing 420 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The longest play he gave up in man was 29 yards. In zone? It was 61. Anybody with eyes could see the young cornerback wasn't comfortable playing Eberflus' style. He did it because he was a good soldier and wanted to play. For the first time, it feels like the Bears have finally put someone in charge who will coach to his strengths. Tyrique Stevenson still has lots of proving to do. This staff isn't required to keep him as a starter. He must earn their trust on the field.