The Chicago Bears opened the 21-day return for cornerback Kyler Gordon on September 23. So, if the team wants him to be on the active roster this season, they are going to need to activate him by October 15. If not, he will be placed on the season-ending IR.
The Bears have a big decision on Kyler Gordon
While the plan is to activate him this week, the Bears have not officially done it. Head coach Ben Johnson noted that Gordon is in a great mental space; the question now is getting the sign-off from their medical team.
“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 can activate him and then hold him out as a healthy scratch this week if they feel that he is not quite up to speed, but they do want him to be on the active roster at some point this season. So, Johnson is mostly talking about his return to the field and whether he will start more than whether the team plans to activate him this week.
The question is how the addition of Gordon will impact the Bears roster. They are likely to release Clark Phillips when Gordon is ready to be on the roster. Phillips was acquired in the Gervon Dexter trade but has not taken a snap on special teams or defense since Week 3, when the team opened the practice window for Gordon.
When Gordon returns, the hope is that he will come in and man the slot. Right now, the Bears are starting Malik Muhammad on the outside and in the slot. When the team needs a slot cornerback, he slides inside, and they bring in Tyrique Stevenson.
When they do not need a slot, he mans the outside. Adding Gordon will allow the team to put Muhammad on the outside consistently.
This takes Stevenson off the field entirely, and he has struggled. It allows the rookie fourth-round pick to focus on one position, which will make him a bit more comfortable in the NFL. So, they should be much stronger on the outside.
Then, the team is expecting Gordon to step back in and be one of the better slot cornerbacks in the NFL. This is the role he served before he got hurt. So, two spots could see a significant upgrade as soon as Week 6.
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