Chicago Bears advanced stats review: Kyler Gordon
We can see on the video that Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon did not have a good season. So, do the advanced stats show us anything that can provide some optimism? Or do they add context to how troubling this year was?
Yards per Target
Kyler Gordon allowed 9.3 yards per target last season. That ranked 99th out of 102 qualified cornerbacks. Only Xavien Howard, Mike Hughes, and Tre Herndon were worse. Conversely, James Bradberry led cornerbacks with 4.4 yards per target.
It is a concerning stat, but it has to be noted that Jaylon Johnson also was 95th in yards per target with 8.9. This was high for Johnson, and it could speak to the Chicago Bears' pass rush being unusually bad.
Yards Per Catch
For what it is worth, Kyler Gordon ranks 65th in yards per completion at 12.1. Xavien Howard is at 15.6, and even Jaylon Johnson was down at 15.1. The best is Sean Murphy-Bunting at 8.9, which is impressive. This does speak to what the issue is for Gordon. It is less about how many yards he is giving up, and more about how many completions he is giving up.
Completion Rate
The last two stats are exactly why this stat is not surprising. Kyler Gordon ranks 101st out of 102 in the completion rate allowed at 76.8%. Only Cameron Dantzler was worse. This speaks to the idea that Gordon was not giving up yards per completion, but he was giving up a lot of completions, and therefore the yards per target is much higher. James Bradberry led the way at 45.3%, and Jaylon Johnson at 58.8%, ranked 43rd overall.
Snaps per target
Kyler Gordon ranked 89th in yards per target with 5.4. Some banes wirse than him incude Brandon Stephens, Kader Kohou, Darnay Holmes, and Anthony Brown. These are the players that quarterbacks are looking to attack in coverage.
On the flip side, Patrick Surtain, Jaycee Horn, and Marlon Humphrey are around nine snaps per target, some of the best rates in the NFL.
Snaps per reception
Kyler Gordon ranked deadlast in the NFL in snaps per reception at 6.5. Again it shows that teams were not throwing at him the most, but when they did, he gave up the most catches. This has to change. Sauce Gardner, Patrick Surtain, and James Bradberry were some of the best cornerbacks in this area.
YAC/Catch
Kyler Gordon ranked 88th in yards after the catch per reception with 5.5. To be fair, Kenny Moore, and Trevon Diggs were worse, although Diggs is a big hit, big miss player. Jaylon Johnson really struggled in this area as well, and it may speak to Matt Eberflus playing so much off-zone coverage. Patrick Surtain was at 2.4 for refernece.
Slot vs Outside
Kyler Gordon spent 252 snaps in the slot, and 193 coverage snaps on the outside. When he was targeted in the slot he gave up 41 catches on 45 targets. Meanwhile, on the outside, he was 22-32 when targeted.
He also allowed 1.9 yards per snap in the slot, and 1.6 outside. However, he allowed 14.1 yards per completion on the outside, and 11.8 in the slot. So, it really is pick your poison. On the outside, he can get bodied by bigger players, and the plays may go for bigger gains. In the slot, he can hold them to less yards, but he cannot make a play on the ball quick enough to force an incompletion.
Zone/Man
While he did not excel in either it was clear that Kyler Gordon was better in zone than man. That is good because he was in man for 28% of his snaps, and he was in zone for 61%. He also allowed 9.8 yards per target in zone compared to 12.2 in man, and he allowed 11.7 yards per target in zone compared to 15.9 in man.
For perspective, he ranked 100th in snaps per reception in man, while ranking 93rd in zone. So, yes he was definitely vbetter in zone, but the difference may not be what some want it to be.
Forced Incompletion Rate
Of qualified cornerbacks, he ranks 99th in forced incompletion rate. He had a 4% forced incompletion rate last season. Only Donte Jackson was worse because he was tied with five other names for the worst rate. For comparison, Sauce Gardner was at 27%, leading the NFL. This problem for Gordon speaks to how many completions he allows. It is because he is not disrupting nearly enough passes.
Passer rating
A somewhat good note is that he ranks 87th in passer rating allowed at 110.8. That is obviously not great, but we finally see a number inside the top 90, which feels like a win for Kyler Gordon at this point. This mainly comes from a lack of touchdowns allowed; he ranks 60th in that area.
Run defense
He did rank 44th in run stop rate, and 49th in run defense grade, per PFF. His missed tackle rate was 67th best.
Passer Rushing
With 23 pass rush attempts he ranked 10th in this area. Unfortunately, he is 22nd in pressures, so another disappointment.