The Bears’ plan for Kyler Gordon is getting closer to the finish line, but it still isn’t quite finished.
Chicago opened Gordon’s 21-day return window on September 23, which means the team has until October 15 to activate him if it wants him on the active roster this season. Miss that deadline, and he goes to season-ending IR.
Head coach Ben Johnson said the biggest remaining hurdle is not Gordon’s mindset. It’s the medical checkpoint.
“I think mentally he’s pretty sharp right now," said Johnson. We’re once again in the middle of this stress test, making sure that he’s physically prepared to play in Football Games.”
The Bears want Gordon back on the active roster at some point this year, and the expectation is that he could be activated this week. Still, the team has not made it official, and it could also choose to activate him and keep him out as a healthy scratch if he is not quite ready to play.
That leaves Johnson talking less about whether Gordon will be activated and more about when he’ll actually return to the field.
The roster ripple effects are part of the story, too. Once Gordon is ready, Clark Phillips is expected to be the odd man out. Phillips came over in the Gervon Dexter trade, but he has not played a snap on special teams or defense since Week 3, when Chicago opened Gordon’s practice window.
If Gordon is back where the Bears want him, the fit should be straightforward: he handles the slot. Right now, Malik Muhammad is doing double duty, lining up outside and inside depending on the look.
When Chicago needs a slot corner, Muhammad slides in and Tyrique Stevenson comes on. When the slot isn’t needed, Muhammad stays outside.
Gordon’s return would clean that up. Muhammad could stay on the outside full time, while Stevenson would be removed from the mix entirely. That would also let the rookie fourth-round pick settle into one spot instead of bouncing around.
And if Gordon looks like the player Chicago expects, the Bears believe that could pay off immediately. They’re counting on him to return as one of the league’s better slot cornerbacks, the role he held before the injury. If all goes according to plan, two spots in that secondary could look a lot better as soon as Week 6.
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