Chicago Bears fans got a small jolt this week when a video started making the rounds showing Kyler Gordon working out and, by every visible sign, looking healthy.
That came on the heels of a pretty blunt answer from general manager Ryan Poles, who was asked whether Gordon would ever suit up for the Bears again and basically replied, "I don't know."
So now the video is out there, and it’s hard not to wonder what it means. Gordon has been dealing with multiple soft tissue injuries over the last year or so, which limited him to just three games last season and kept him out of training camp and the preseason entirely. There still isn’t a clear answer on if - or when - he’ll be back.
The workout clip, though, does raise the obvious question: if he looks this good, why isn’t he playing?
To get a better read on that, I spoke with longtime personal trainer Justin Trangsrud, who has spent nearly two decades training college football players and other athletes. I asked him directly why Gordon couldn’t be on the field if he moves like that in the video.
"That is tough. Watching the video, he looks good," he said.
"He looks stable in all the movements. He looks fluid in all the movements.
You even see him sprint too.
"But, if he’s completing that type of workout and then complaining about pain after, or if there’s any swelling after, that could be the big red flag and the ultimate issue."
Trangsrud also said he tends to lean toward the athlete in situations like this.
"I admit I am biased towards the athletes in this situation, though. I feel like sometimes fans lose sight of the fact that these guys are competitors and no one wants to sit on the sidelines. It’s not fun for him to be sitting out games like this.
"Even if he looks good in videos like this, I assume that something doesn’t feel right to him and that’s what’s stopping him from coming back. It can make things more confusing as an athlete if you have the training staff and coaches telling you everything is good, but your mind and body is telling you something doesn’t feel right."
The timing of the video also stands out because, up until now, the public message around Gordon has been pretty simple: there’s a plan, and the Bears have been following it. That’s what Ben Johnson and Poles have been saying for months, with very little else leaking out about his rehab or training.
Then suddenly, this video appears.
And yes, it’s fair to read that as a message. After Poles’ comments cast real doubt on whether Gordon would play again in Chicago, the idea that Gordon would want to push back on that narrative makes sense. If you’re Gordon, and you’ve spent months hearing rumors, whispers and questions about your future, putting something like this out there is one way to answer.
It also leaves the same uncomfortable question hanging over everything: will he actually play for the Bears again?
If Gordon gets back and stays healthy, the Bears would welcome it in a hurry. He’s the kind of player who changes things at nickel.
But the longer this drags on, the more it starts to feel like one of those Derrick Rose type of situations. There’s no clean timeline here, and there may be a mental piece to it as well. That’s something Gordon has to work through on his own, and nobody outside the building can really judge it.
For now, the video offers one encouraging glimpse. It does not, though, give Bears fans the answer they want.
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The schedule gives the Bears some room to think long-term, with two relatively manageable games to open the season and less pressure to push a player back before he is ready. That creates an obvious strategic question for the staff: whether Monangai needs to be available right away, or whether the smarter move is to preserve him for the tougher stretch ahead. For now, his status leaves the backfield with a question mark, and the Bears will have to decide how much patience they can afford. [Read more 🡒]