The Chicago Bears have made it clear that they are skeptical about anything Kyler Gordon can bring to the team now. So, the plan is to move on as if he will not return from his injury issues, and if they do get anything out of him this year, it is icing on their cake. That means that the nickel competition is officially a starting position battle.
Chicago Bears nickel competition heats up
Without Gordon, it was unclear who would lead in the nickel competition and how the competition would shape up. Through one day of training camp, the picture is just as unclear. The Bears had four different names move into the slot during different portions of practice.
Jaylon Jones looked to be the first name to get the call. However, they mixed Cam Lewis in at the same time. Meanwhile, both Josh Blackwell and rookie Malik Muhammad were in the mix, but not quite as involved as the other two.
As promised by Bears DC Dennis Allen, there were different players at nickel back with Kyler Gordon sidelined. Jaylon Jones played with the starters in team periods, while Cam Lewis took over in 7-on-7.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) July 29, 2026
Josh Blackwell and rookie Malik Muhammad also got reps at nickel back.
The most interesting name might be Jones. Jones is entering his fifth year in the NFL as a former UDFA, and all of them are with the Bears. He spent a brief period with the Arizona Cardinals this summer, but came back to Chicago before training camp started.
He is interesting because he has 729 career snaps, and 585 of them are at outside cornerback. Last year he had 34 snaps on the outside and five snaps in the slot. So, he has mostly been viewed as outside depth. Now, in his fifth NFL season, they are not only looking at him in the slot, but he is also running with the first team.
Lewis is another interesting name to watch. He was signed to play safety, but the Bears coveted him in free agency because of his versatility. Lewis has 545 career snaps in the slot and last year played 145 slot snaps for the Buffalo Bills. He could find his way into that role.
The players that were expected to work into the slot more without Gordon were Muhammad and Blackwell. Blackwell is a special teams stud, but has had work in the slot. He is entering his fifth year with Chicago and has 219 career snaps in the slot. Muhammad is a rookie and learning, so it might take him a week or two before he gets real slot work.
The Bears have plenty of options. However, it might be another week or two until we know who will really emerge in the slot.
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