While this season has been memorable for the Chicago Bears, there have been some tough injuries to get through.
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon have missed most of the season with their lower leg injuries, but both returned with one having a setback. Gordon ended up reinjuring his groin in pre-game warmups before the Bears' 28-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers and was ruled out at the last second.
With the team back in Chicago, Bears head coach Ben Johnson spoke with the media, where there were questions about Gordon's injury before the game. Johnson gave an update on it and what happened.
“He was warming up in pregame and felt it, felt his groin (strain). We didn’t feel like we were in a good spot to have him play and compete and put him in that spot. We’ll see how it goes from here on out.”
Ben Johnson is starting the feel the frustration with Gordon
Gordon not playing in that Packers game meant that he missed his 10th game of the season. He has seven tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, one sack, and one fumble recovery in three games this season.
For Johnson, it's starting to get frustrating for the head coach to know what kind of player Gordon is and what the best course of action is to help him feel better.
“It’s disappointing. I wish I had a better feel for the individual. But with him being out as much as he has been, I haven’t really gotten to see him on the field and competing and get to know him like I’d like to at this point yet.
"I do know the biggest predictor of a soft-tissue injury is having a previous one and he’s kind of in this rut right now that we’re not able to get out of. So we’re going to exhaust all of our resources in and outside of the building to make sure we’re addressing it and doing what we can to get him back and healthy again.”
The good news is that C.J. Gardner-Johnson has made for a great replacement in the slot for Gordon while he's out. Despite some inconsistencies in coverage against speedy receivers, Gardner-Johnson has held his own and has even made three sacks and an interception this season.
Gordon recently signed a contract extension, and with his three-year extension kicking in next year, the Bears might be starting to feel buyer's remorse as he has not lived up to that contract this season. His groin injury is keeping him from playing to the potential Bears fans are used to seeing.
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Chicago fans will have to see what the next week or so looks like, but the future for Gordon might be a bit more murky than expected.