Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles had a lot of work to do this offseason fixing the team’s roster. It will take more than one offseason to get everything back on track, but he did as good of a job as he could during the 2023 offseason.
A lot of attention was given to the defensive side of the ball and rightfully so. Chicago was abysmal defensively in 2022, ranking 32nd in points allowed and 29th in yardage. Their real weakness was against the run, where the Bears ranked 31st in yardage allowed and 27th in yards per carry, giving up the most rushing touchdowns as well.
Poles spent big money to shore things up in that area, signing linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. While the passing defense was much better, ranking 17th in yardage, improvements could still be made in that area.
One player that the Bears have high hopes for in the passing defense is Tyrique Stevenson. The second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Miami has impressed the coaches during practices this offseason.
Head coach Matt Eberflus said he is a little bit ahead of the common rookie when it comes to his confidence level. That has likely played a part in him shooting up the depth chart as Stevenson is already earning first-team reps opposite Jaylon Johnson.
What has really stood out for cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke when it comes to Stevenson is not the plays that he has made during practice. Instead, it is how fast he is picking things up from the playbook. “Really excited about how in two days he’s kind of figured out some of the concepts we try to teach and understand those,” Hoke said.
Cornerback is a very difficult position for rookies to adjust to in the NFL. The game is called differently at the pro level compared to college, which takes some time to adjust to. Players are bigger and stronger as well, so the physicality is at another level.
But, Stevenson is putting himself in a position to succeed with how fast he is picking up concepts and schemes that the Bears are running. If he is mentally prepared each and every week, it will give him an edge over his opponents to make up for the speed and strength adjustments that are still being made.
