5 pleasant surprises on the Chicago Bears past the quarter mark of 2023

2. Greg Stroman has provided the Chicago Bears quality play in the slot

When the Chicago Bears lost Kyler Gordon to the IR, it did not look good in the slot. Then, Josh Blackwell, his backup, went down a few plays later in the game. He has tried to fight back, but he is dealing with a hamstring injury, and it is hard to speed that recovery process up.

It left the Chicago Bears with Greg Stroman. Stroman played the nickel in training camp and preseason, and he was with the team last season. He had been dealing with injuries after getting on the field and playing well for Washington back in 2018.

It has been a long road back, but it looks like he is finally taking advantage of his chances. First, teams have decided to pick on other matchups and avoid Stroman. Then, he had a big-time interception against Washington that led to points, and he had a sack later in the game that helped keep Washington to just a field goal.

His play through four weeks after Gordon went down is about what the fans would have hoped to see from Gordon this season. Nobody saw that coming. When Gordon returns, he will likely step back in over Stroman, but Stroman has shown he belongs in the NFL.