Chicago Bears fans have the final piece of information they need to know before their Wild Card showdown against the Green Bay Packers.
The Bears released their inactives, with seven players on the list. Big names like cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson and wide receiver Jahdae Walker were included on the list.
- Case Keenum, Third QB
- C.J. Gardner-Johnson, CB
- Ruben Hyppolite II, LB
- Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, DE
- Jahdae Walker, WR
- Amen Ogbongbemiga, LB
- Luke Newman, OL
One name that is noticeably absent, though, is cornerback Kyler Gordon, who is officially good to go. Gordon was just removed from the IR and is now officially active for the contest.
Bears lose some key reserve players but Kyler Gordon is back
This is massive news: Gordon is officially back in the Bears' lineup, as he has been on and off IR twice this season. He has only played in three games because a groin core muscle injury has kept him off the field.
The tough part is not having Gardner-Johnson available to rotate in for Gordon, as the Bears could play it safe and have Gordon on a certain snap count to ease him in. Chicago has Nick McCloud and Jaylon Jones as the backup nickel corners to rotate in if the Bears wanted to go down that route.
Another option could be to put in Tyrique Stevenson, but they have not been playing him lately, with Nahshon Wright getting most of the CB2 reps on the outside. Expect more of that with Stevenson potentially sprinkling in some reps.
Walker's inactivity is tough for fans, as he has stepped up with Rome Odunze out for the last month with his foot injury, but the Bears have to make room for Odunze as he is back. It will be Odunze, DJ Moore, and Luther Burden III as the top receivers in the game.
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It's all great news for the Bears as Gordon is back, and Odunze is officially back for them as well. Chicago has gotten through the most challenging injuries of the year and can now be at full strength against the Packers.