A surprising coaching decision sidelined a key cornerback. The reasoning behind the benching, despite a struggling secondary, will leave you baffled.
Tyrique Stevenson didn't play at all against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and the reason isn't what you would think.
Stevenson has played in 13 games with 10 starts for the Chicago Bears this season. He's recorded 39 total tackles, one TFL and one interception.
If anything, his depth could've been used in the Lions game, especially since the Bears were gashed in the secondary for 331 passing yards by quarterback Jared Goff.
Chicago's strategy of playing man coverage didn't pay off. With how inconsistent the secondary has been, any extra bodies could've helped.
One would think that if Stevenson didn't play, it was because of an injury.
However, head coach Ben Johnson revealed at Monday's press conference that Steveson was simply benched because he wanted Jaylon Johnson and Nahshon Wright to get most of the snaps.
"We felt good about Shaunie [Nahshon Wright] and where Jaylon [Johnson] were, and we wanted those two guys to take the bulk of snaps," Johnson said.
This is a puzzling decision by Johnson and coaching staff, with how the corners how looked this season. It might be hindsight, but Stevenson should still get some reps in the secondary with how awful it has looked at times.
To make things even worse, Wright and Johnson had two of the worst graded defensive performances on the team in the Week 18 loss, via PFF. Wright finished with a grade of 50.6, and Johnson had a 50.1.
Johnson definitely has some leverage for playing time, considering he is a two-time Pro Bowler, but he still had an awful game, much like Wright did. The decision not to give Stevenson snaps in the secondary is really confusing.
Stevenson could've even gone in at nickel corner. C.J. Gardner-Johnson has played a lot of nickel with Kyler Gordon being injured. Gardner-Johnson received the worst PFF grade of 28.2 on Sunday.
Stevenson's lack of playing time is an enigma, but at least there is a potential reinforcement on the way. Johnson also shared at the presser that he hopes to have Gordon back at practice this week.
If the Bears can get their starting nickel corner healthy and in shape before the Packers game, it would be a huge plus.
Getting any players back in the secondary would be nice for the Packers game, with the damage Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs have done in the previous two meetings. Watson had 89 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Week 14. Doubs ended with 84 receiving yards and one touchdown two weeks later.
Saturday's game kicks off at 7 p.m. CT on Prime Video but can also be viewed locally on Fox 32.