CHICAGO – Even though it's only May and OTAs, there are things that can be legitimately gleaned from practice and how the Bears do things.

One such development is what came out of Tuesday's practice session: The fact that Kyler Gordon and Kindle Vildor were running with the 1s and incumbent starter Jaylon Johnson  -the Bears' No. 1 corner in 2021- was running with the 2s.

"I wouldn't read into that, right now. He's [Johnson] just getting back into action, right now," Matt Eberflus told reporters on Tuesday. "So, we're just seeing where he is with his conditioning and those things. 1s and 2s – we're moving all guys around…. Nothing to read into that, at this time."

Overall, Eberflus is right in the fact that it's nothing to read into when it comes to a permanent situation. However, there are some oddities that stick out when we really break things down.

For starters, Eberflus recently said he hasn't had a good look at Johnson, so he couldn't really offer an evaluation on the third-year corner. But, when asked about Kyler Gordon, Eberflus was quick to pump him up and say the rookie corner had been "lighting it up" through the offseason, so far.

"He's [Johnson's] got some things he's got to work on just like all the rest of those guys that are second- and third-year players," said Eberflus. "They've all got to work on stuff. Just keep working and we'll see where he goes."

Gordon is likely to be considered Eberflus' "guy" considering the fact Gordon represents Eberflus' first-ever draft pick as head coach. So, it makes a bit more sense for Eberflus to favor "his guys" over the incumbent vets. Johnson even knows that he's essentially starting from scratch when it comes to proving himself to Eberflus and Co.

"That's my mindset now moving forward," Johnson recently said. "It's a complete reset. Everything I've done in the past with the other coaches, with the other staff, it really doesn't mean too much. I mean, the film is not going to lie to you. But at the end of the day, they want me to show them what I can do in person moving forward."

But what throws a wrench in things is the fact that Kindle Vildor was running with the Gordon and the 1s. Vildor served as the Bears' No. 2 corner for the first 10 games of 2021 before he was benched in favor of Artie Burns against the Lions on Thanksgiving. The fact that the holiday matchup was Burns' first start since the 2019 season really showcased how poorly Vildor performed in a starting role.

Vildor was relegated to a backup role afterward and it showed. His playing time hovered at 99.4% through the first 10 games of season, but dropped to 39% through seven games after the benching.

So, to sum everything up: Eberflus has a rookie and a previously-benched corner running with the 1s, while Johnson -a guy who is still a work in progress but has also shown he can play in the NFL- is running with the backups.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, even if it is only May.

Fortunately, Eberflus had some really positive things to say about Johnson on Tuesday and he left the door open for him to get back in the mix.

"Like I said last week, I didn't get a chance to look at him," said Eberflus. "And now that I've seen him for a week – I like what I see. He's moving around really well, his change of direction is nice, he's got really good hands, as you know he has good size. And now, [it 's] just looking at his coverage ability. It's in a good spot. It's in a really good spot.

"We're just working with him and trying to assess his skills and we'll coach him as we go."

Either way, the optics of this situation are strange, at best. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out moving forward.

Featured image via Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports