Last season was a great year for Chicago Bears first-year head coach Ben Johnson, as he led the team to the playoffs, but there was one thing that really bothered him, especially late in the season.
The Bears went through a revolving door in the secondary, which included key injuries to starting cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. While Johnson returned late in the season, Gordon missed most of it with a soft-tissue injury, which has reportedly remained a problem going into OTAs. Ben Johnson addressed the media regarding Gordon's injury, and it appears he's a bit annoyed that this is still a problem, making an interesting comment.
"We spoke last year, and neither one of us were really happy with how it went just from a perspective of being available to get to know each other," Johnson said via ESPN Bears reporter Courtney Cronin. "I think he only played in three games when I look back at it, and so, you know, this spring was going to be a springboard for us to get going in the right direction. We're still working through that. We're still trying to get that availability piece going. We know he's a good player when he's out there, but trust level is a huge thing for this team, for this coaching staff, for the locker room, and you can only develop that trust by being available."
Ben Johnson is looking to trust Kyler Gordon to stay on the field
Johnson was spot on: Gordon indeed played only three games, racking up seven tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, one sack, and one fumble recovery. The rest of the time was spent trying to get healthy, which did not seem to go well.
The timing of Gordon's injury couldn't have come at a worse time, with Nahshon Wright and C.J. Gardner-Johnson no longer on the team, so the depth at cornerback is not quite there. Chicago did select Malik Muhammad in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but he was seen more as competition for Tyrique Stevenson for the CB2 job.
It's a shame this is happening to Gordon, as when he is healthy and on the field, he's among one of the top 10 nickel corners in the NFL. At some point, though, if he can't get himself to be 100% available for the team, Johnson might have to make some tough decisions and bring in a guy who can stay on the field.
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There isn't much reason to worry, but there is a good reason to be very frustrated with the whole situation, as the Bears need their top defenders on the field. The future seems kind of scary in the secondary at the moment if Gordon can't find his way back and start playing.
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