Where will Kyler Gordon line up for Chicago Bears Week 1?

When the Chicago Bears take on the San Francisco 49ers, plenty of fans will be paying attention to the debut of rookie second-round pick Kyler Gordon. One thing that will be have to be tracked is who Gordon lines up against, and how often he plays in the slot compared to outside.

When Gordon first showed up, many assumed he would be outside with Jaylon Johnson, and someone like Tavon Young would man the slot. However, the injury to Young may have changed that plan, or the team sees Gordon as a player best suited for the slot.

During the preseason he spent 85% of his snaps in the slot, per PFF. During the dress rehearsal game, even though Jaylon Johnson was out, they still started Lamar Jackson and Kindle Vildor on the outside when they needed three corners, keeping Gordon in the slot.

So, it sounds obvious that Gordon will play outside with two corners, then move to the slot on three wide. The 49ers being their week one test makes this more interesting, though.

Last season 27 teams had three wideouts on the field more than 55% of the time. The 49ers ranked 28th, running a three-wide set just 48% of the time.

This makes sense when you think of their personnel. They have George Kittle, and Kyle Juscyk as their top skill players, so when you add in a running back, they only can play two more skill position players. That leaves them with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk as their two wideouts.

The team does get funky at times, and they move Samuel and Aiyuk into the slot. Combined, the duo spent 30% of their snaps in the slot last season. So, Gordon may get 30% of his snap share where he had been playing in the preseason, but the 49ers may immediately take him out of his comfort zone, and have him playing outside.

From there, we will see if the Chicago Bears continue to play sides, or if they have their corners follow certain players based on matchups. Either way, we may see Gordon as a primary slot, but it may not come this week.