The Bears seem to be warming up to the idea of nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon contributing this season. He’s been practicing all week, setting up a return from the physically-unable-to-perform list this month.
General manager Ryan Poles said going into training camp he didn’t know whether Gordon would play at all this season, and coach Ben Johnson’s answers were terse every time he was asked for a Gordon update until this week.
Johnson gave his most extensive thoughts on Gordon before practice Friday, saying he was “more than happy” to talk about a player who was actually out on the field and that Gordon’s work the last few days was encouraging.
“He’s a phenomenal football player, and we have just been in a struggle to get him out there,” Johnson said. “We’re excited about what the future could possibly hold, but it’s a matter of putting in a good day’s work every single day.
“He’s a very talented player. He always has been. It’s just unfortunate since I got in the building a year-and-a-half ago, we haven’t had him available very much.”
Gordon is eligible to return Oct. 11 at the Packers and must be activated ahead of the Oct. 22 game against the Patriots or shut down for the season.
“I call it a stress test right now, and we’ll see how well he holds up here over the next few weeks,” Johnson said.
Gordon is one of the NFL’s best at his position, but missed 14 of 17 regular-season games last season because of three separate injuries. He was out all of the recent offseason with a soft-tissue injury, and Poles implied in July that there was a disconnect between the team and the player on his approach to recovery.
Before last season, the outlook on Gordon was bright as could be.
He was the first player Poles drafted, taking him in the second round at No. 39 overall in 2022, and the Bears made him one of the league’s highest-paid nickels with a three-year, $42 million contract extension in April 2025, three months after Johnson was hired.
At defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s introductory news conference, he called Gordon “an outstanding player” and said, “I have a vision for how we can utilize him.”
Gordon has played 47 of a possible 68 games for the Bears and has 214 tackles, five interceptions, five fumble recoveries and 2 1/2 sacks.
