The Bears’ drama with injured nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon will go on at least another month. The team left him on the physically unable-to-perform list at the roster deadline Sunday, meaning he will miss at least the first four games.
The soonest he is eligible to return is the Oct. 11 game at the Packers. He will miss games against the Panthers, Vikings, Eagles and Jets.
The Bears likely will start veteran safety/cornerback Cam Lewis or rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad in Gordon’s spot. Muhammad has gotten most of the first-team reps lately.
Gordon was out all of training camp, as well as the offseason practices before that, with a calf injury. The team has said next to nothing about his status other than general manager Ryan Poles implying in July that Gordon hadn’t fully embraced the rehab program the Bears’ staff put together for him.
He missed 14 games last season with three separate injuries, leaving the Bears’ defense in a bind without one of its top players. Before that, he played 42 of a possible 51 games over his first three seasons.
Gordon signed a three-year, $40 million contract extension last year that begins this season and runs through 2028. That made him the highest paid nickel corner in the NFL.
In his first four seasons, he totaled 214 tackles, 17 pass breakups, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and 2 1/2 sacks.
The Bears also put defensive lineman Shemar Turner, who is coming off a torn ACL, and backup linebacker Noah Sewell on PUP to begin the season.
