The Chicago Bears have opened the 21-day practice window for defensive back Kyler Gordon, a sign his return is finally getting close after starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
Gordon had left the team during the season for a few weeks to rehab with his personal team, but he is now back and expected to get on the football field again. The Bears now have three weeks to work him back into practice before they have to decide whether to activate him.
That clock matters. If Chicago does not activate Gordon within the next 21 days, he would have to go on season-ending IR. Teams usually do not open that window unless they believe a return is coming soon, and Gordon appears to fit that mold.
The likeliest timeline points away from Week 4 against the New York Jets and toward Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers. That would give him a chance to return for a big one, and the Bears seem to be positioning for that possibility.
His comeback also lines up with some moving pieces in the secondary. Rookie fourth-round pick Malik Muhammad began the season in the slot, but when Tyrique Stevenson was injured and missed Week 3, Chicago moved Muhammad outside. He handled the job well, and since that is where he played in college, the Bears have kept him there.
That pushed Cam Lewis into the slot, though he had started at safety in the first two weeks. Xavier Woods is in place at safety, but the group gets thin when all three are on the field. Gordon’s return would give the Bears more flexibility, including the chance to use Lewis as more of a versatile piece and ease some of the burden on Woods.
Even with the window opened, Gordon’s future with the team remains uncertain. The Bears can save $8M by moving on from him this offseason. But if they can get more than 10 games from him in what could be his final year in Chicago, that would still count as a major payoff.
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