It sure would be a good time for Chicago Bears injured cornerback Kyler Gordon to return to the lineup.
The Bears are coming off a 19-16 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 and saw one of their starters, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, get hurt in the game with a concussion. With Gardner-Johnson now in concussion protocol, there are questions as to whether Gordon would be able to come back from his core muscle injury and get activated from the IR.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson gave an update on Gordon's status, saying Chicago is hopeful he will practice this week, which would leave the door open for him to play in the NFC Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers. Johnson added that Gardner-Johnson is indeed in concussion protocol, and his status for the Packers matchup is up in the air.
Chicago Bears need Kyler Gordon to come back and help save the secondary
The Lions had a field day with the Bears' secondary, with over 300 yards passing allowed. Between Jaylon Johnson, Nahshon Wright, and Gardner-Johnson, they each allowed at least four receptions for 68 yards in the loss.
All season, the Bears' defense has been prone to allowing the big plays from the opponent's offense that have set them back. The silver lining is that the defense has been exceptional in the red zone, one of the league's top units.
Gordon has been mostly absent from the Bears' regular season due to lower-body injuries, playing only three games. He has been on IR since being a last-second pull from the first matchup against the Packers.
The Bears decided to go with Jaylon Jones over Tyrique Stevenson in the Lions game when Gardner-Johnson went down with the injury, so there might be some questions on what's going on in the slot if Chicago can't get Gordon or Gardner-Johnson on the field. Backup nickel corner Nick McCloud missed the Packers game as well, so the Bears don't even know if he will be available to play in the Wild Card.
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Way too many issues are coming up again at cornerback, but not as bad as they were at the beginning of the season. Chicago would love to have Gordon back for the playoffs and could really use him for the depth they need to make a Super Bowl run.