The Chicago Bears' defensive issues were amplified during the team's 52-21 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 2 as Chicago allowed its NFC North rival to move the ball up and down the field at will for four quarters.
While the season-ending injury to cornerback Jaylon Johnson certainly won't help the Bears on the backend, the lack of production from veteran Tyrique Stevenson is an even bigger problem for Chicago. There is no reason to sugarcoat it: Stevenson hasn't just underperformed through two games; the former second-round pick has been historically bad this season.
Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson Is a Liability on Defense for Chicago
Stevenson has faced eight pass attempts in his direction and allowed receptions to be made on seven of them, with one going for a touchdown. Opposing QBs have a perfect rating of 158.3 when targeting the cornerback, as they are averaging over 17 yards per reception and over 15 yards per attempt against Stevenson (h/t @danielcoltun).
Opposing offenses aren't just picking on Stevenson; they are chewing him up and spitting him out. The third-year CB has allowed Jared Goff and J.J. McCarthy to do whatever they wanted when targeting receivers covered by Stevenson. It doesn't help the Bears defender's cause that he has been called for two penalties and missed three tackles through two games, either (h/t @@RyanHeckmanNFL).
While there have been calls from fans for general manager Ryan Poles to go out and sign veteran free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore as a replacement for the injured Johnson, there doesn't seem to be much interest from Chicago's side in making that type of move at the moment.
It is understandable why the Bears would want to allow Stevenson to work his way out of this funk. Teams typically don't cut players who were selected in the first or second round after two weeks, no matter how bad things are. Still, the early results show that it will be a risky game to play much longer if Chicago is serious about turning things around this season.
Assuming that Stevenson is in the starting lineup again this weekend when the Bears face CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and the Dallas Cowboys, the coaching staff better be on red alert when it comes to the former Miami Hurricanes standout. Head coach Ben Johnson & Co. cannot afford to let Cowboys signal-caller Dak Prescott pick on the struggling cornerback like McCarthy and Goff did.