Once Kyler Gordon returned from IR a second time a few weeks ago, Chicago Bears fans were wondering how it was going to work in the rotation at nickel corner with C.J. Gardner-Johnson playing so well there.
Well, that hasn't really been answered the last two weeks after Gardner-Johnson missed the Bears' 31-27 NFC Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers as he recovered from his concussion. All signs so far this week have been good for Gardner-Johnson, though, as he is practicing and should be good to play in the NFC Divisional Round matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was asked how the team would handle the nickel corner position now that Gordon and Gardner-Johnson are both healthy and ready to play. Allen kept the answer simple.
“They’ll both have a role.”
Kyler Gordon and C.J. Gardner-Johnson appear to be splitting reps vs. Rams
This is most likely going to work similarly to what is happening with the outside corner spots featuring Jaylon Johnson, Nahshon Wright, and Tyrique Stevenson. There was a stretch there where it was a rotation between the three until recently, when Johnson and Wright were getting more reps than Stevenson.
The same could be happening with Gordon and Gardner-Johnson splitting reps. Gordon would most likely get the starting job with Gardner-Johnson stepping in at certain moments.
Where Gardner-Johnson thrives is in run support or as a blitzing slot corner to get to the quarterback. Gordon has typically been stronger in pass coverage, but he struggled in the playoffs against the Packers, so that might vary in the Rams game.
It's going to be a tough situation for Allen at the beginning of the game to go between the two corners of Gordon and Gardner-Johnson. Don't be surprised if Allen finds one that is playing better than the other, and he'll stick with the one that is hot at the moment.
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While it might be a tough situation, it's actually good that the Bears have depth at nickel, especially since Nick McCloud appears to be out of the game with his injury after not practicing throughout the week. Chicago has a major advantage against the Rams with two corners like Gordon and Gardner-Johnson, who can play slot and make it hard on the receivers.