The Chicago Bears are currently sitting atop a competitive NFC North with a 7-3 record, and have won seven of their last eight games.
While Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, and the offense get a ton of deserved praise, the Dennis Allen-led defense has also gotten involved as of late. The Week 9 addition of veteran defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson has undoubtedly played a role in that.
Gardner-Johnson was brought in after Kyler Gordon was placed on injured reserve, and the veteran, who played under Dennis Allen before, fit right in. Now that Gordon is nearing a return, everyone has been wondering what will happen to Gardner-Johnson.
Allen isn’t quite sure of his plan yet, but he made it clear that Gardner-Johnson won’t be leaving the field. Why that’s good for CJGJ, it could be bad news for one of the other veteran defensive backs.
Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen with reinforcements returning: "Getting those guys back out on the field and getting them going I think is going to help our defense. So, we’re excited about having them out there. ... We'll figure that out. Give us as many good football…
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) November 20, 2025
Dennis Allen says C.J. Gardner-Johnson is a player you want on the field
This admission from Allen had Bears fans racing to come up with possible approaches Chicago could take. Some fans suggested using a lot of dime packages, allowing the Bears to play with six defensive backs on the field. Another option thrown out was leaving Gardner-Johnson on the inside as the nickel, and lining Gordon up as an outside corner.
While that’s a possibility, that would mean one of Chicago’s outside corners will be headed to the bench. With Jaylon Johnson returning to practice, he’ll be back in the lineup soon as well, which would mean both Tyrique Stevenson and Nahshon Wright could be headed to the bench if Chicago wants Gordon on the outside.
That would be a significant shakeup in the secondary, but one that could be worth it if the Bears actually believe inserting the original starters would elevate the unit. If Johnson and Gordon are both back to their best forms once cleared, they have to be on the field.
Read more: Bears' latest Week 12 injury report takes wild twist with Jaylon Johnson update
As Allen said, it’s great to have as many good players as possible, and the team has to figure out how to utilize them best. It would be nice if everyone could be involved and thrive, and there will likely be some rotation, but the reality is that at least one person will end up being the odd man out.