Just when the Chicago Bears' defense was starting to look like it was finally rounding into form from a health perspective, Ben Johnson and company have been dealt another blow to the secondary.
After just three appearances for the Bears during the 2025 campaign, the regular season is officially over for veteran cornerback Kyler Gordon. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Chicago plans to place Gordon on the Injured Reserve for the final four weeks of the regular season with the hope that he will be ready to go by the time the playoffs roll around.
Kyler Gordon Landing on IR Puts Chicago In Sticky Situation at CB
Gordon has been replaced in the lineup by reserve cornerback Nick McCloud for a portion of the season, and this news will keep him in that rotation, despite the issues he has faced in coverage all year long. This is the last thing that fans in the Windy City want to hear as the return of Tyrique Stevenson was supposed to help push McCloud out of the lineup. Now, however, he is back like he never left.
McCloud is a perfect example of why Pro Football Focus grades are a useful resource but never tell the full story regarding a player's performance. As FanSided's Cem Yolbulan noted in a recent piece for DaWindyCity, McCloud had a team-best overall defensive grade from PFF of 75.0 in the Bears' loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 14. While that is nice, it came in a loss and is a blip on the radar of what has been a season full of QBs picking on McCloud in coverage.
For the year, McCloud has allowed 23 receptions on 29 targets, a completion percentage of 79.3, for over 300 yards receiving, and four touchdowns. This is something the rest of the league has caught on to, as McCloud's allowing a passer rating of 150.4 when targeted. Needless to say, this isn't someone fans in Chicago were hoping to count on down the stretch.
Fortunately, the Bears did go out and sign CJ Gardner-Johnson earlier this season, and he has been a standout performer thus far. With that being said, he is far from a perfect solution and can be susceptible to giving up the big play, as was seen during Chicago's Week 14 loss as well.
Gordon would be a welcome addition back to the lineup, whenever that comes. The fact that this latest trip to the IR came following an injury suffered during pregame warmups only makes the loss that much tougher to swallow.
There is still work left to be done this season, regardless of whether Gordon is on the field or not. That needs to be the focus of McCloud, Gardner-Johnson, and the rest of this secondary moving forward.