Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
The drama surrounding Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was supposed to be squelched after the team’s 18-15 Week 8 loss to the Washington Commanders.
We covered Stevenson’s gaffe on the game’s final play in detail, but to recap, the second-year corner taunted Commanders fans during the last play of the game — a Hail Mary pass — before tipping the ball to Washington WR Noah Brown for the game-winning score. Stevenson apologized for his lack of focus and the team addressed the issue in-house before moving on. Or so we thought.
On the November 3 episode of “FOX NFL Sunday,” FOX analyst and insider Jay Glazer reported things did not go smoothly when the Bears told Stevenson he would not start Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. “They’re benching him today,” Glazer said on the pre-show. “He’s being demoted. He’s not starting. But on Wednesday, when he found out he wasn’t starting, he actually pulled himself out of practice. That didn’t exactly go over great inside that locker room.”
Shortly after Glazer’s report, ESPN insider Courtney Cronin added a wrinkle or two.
“Bears players asked for the same accountability from Chicago’s coaching staff that is expected of them in games following a disastrous loss in Washington that they aim to move past with a win in Arizona,” Cronin wrote on X, before giving further details in a separate post.
Bears Players May Have a Point, as HC Matt Eberflus Was Heavily Criticized After Week 8 Loss
The team wanting accountability from the coaching staff is not without merit.
Following the Bears’ 18-15 loss to Washington, head coach Matt Eberflus faced significant criticism for his game management and post-game remarks. One point of criticism came when the Bears allowed a 13-yard out route, setting up the Commanders’ successful Hail Mary. Eberflus downplayed the importance of the preceding play, stating it “didn’t matter,” a comment that sports analyst Mike Greenberg labeled as one of the “five dumbest” things he’d ever heard, per the New York Post.
Additionally, Eberflus failed to call a timeout during the game’s final series to set his defense, and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has been panned at times during the season for his play-calling.
The loss and subsequent criticisms have intensified discussions about Eberflus’ future with the team. Fan confidence has notably declined, with a recent survey courtesy of Windy City Gridiron indicating that 76% of respondents have lost faith in the head coach’s’ leadership after the loss to the Commanders.
Bears Players Firmly Behind CB Tyrique Stevenson
Cronin also gave additional context to Glazer’s reveal about Stevenson leaving the team’s practice early after being told of his benching.
“Bears coaches/execs arrived at the decision to not start Stevenson on Tuesday and relayed that to the cornerback before Wednesday’s practice, which was a walk thru,” Cronin wrote, adding:
“I’m told that Stevenson did leave practice after the stretching period to gather himself after learning of his demotion from the starting lineup but returned to practice after a couple minutes inside the locker room and came back out for the team periods during walk thru. While Stevenson’s teammates have expressed frustrations over how things went down in Washington, there wasn’t anything confrontational due to the cornerback leaving walk thru before returning.”
Adding that Bears players were behind Stevenson, Cronin also gave an update on the DB’s punishment.
“This isn’t a permanent benching by any means,” Cronin noted. “The Bears have strong belief in Stevenson and want to help hold him accountable and allow him to move past his actions that took away his focus from the Commanders game.”
Beth Mishler-Elmore Beth Mishler-Elmore is a Heavy sports contributor based in the Midwest, focusing on the NFL, NBA and WNBA. More about Beth Mishler-Elmore
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