A major weakness for the Chicago Bears doesn’t look nearly as dire anymore despite latest Kyler Gordon situation
The Chicago Bears got disappointing news regarding slot cornerback Kyler Gordon and his injury concerns heading into OTAs, but the team is a lot more equipped to handle his absence.
The Chicago Bears, without question, are a better team when slot cornerback Kyler Gordon is on the field and it’s a big reason why the Bears handed him a sizable extension last offseason that made him one of the highest-paid nickels in the league.
The best ability, however, is availability and that continues to be a major concern clouding Gordon’s immediate future with the team. Last season, Gordon missed 14 games due to soft tissue injuries with his groin, hamstring, and calf. When he returned, it was evident how much the Bears missed having him on the field.
In Gordon’s absence the team relied on Nick McCloud and C.J. Gardner-Johnson to step up and play at the nickel position. While it was commendable efforts from those two backups both players struggled to play up to the level Gordon would have.
“I don’t know that you ever replace the skillset that Kyler brings,” Bears nickel coach Cannon Matthews told reporters Thursday, via Clocker Sports. “… Obviously Kyler has a unique skillset. The athleticism is unmatched in this league.”
Chicago Bears are better prepared to handle the loss of Kyler Gordon, for however long is needed
The biggest fear for Bears fans was having something happen injury related to Gordon after how things went in 2025. Well, unfortunately, those concerns are starting to pop up again after Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported Gordon is dealing with another soft tissue injury going into OTAs next week.
Fortunately, the Bears are better equipped to handle this situation after not being able to fully say that last season. The Bears have added multiple talent to the secondary this offseason with versatility to play multiple positions, including the slot.
First-round safety Dillon Thieneman offers plenty of versatility all over the secondary
The main one is first-round Dillon Thieneman. While Thieneman is set to start at one of the two safety positions alongside Coby Bryant, the Bears spent time during rookie minicamp getting him to learn all of the defensive back positions.
“At Purdue, I played mostly in the post,” Thieneman said. “In Oregon’s defense, you’re asked to do a little bit of everything. I’m rolling down in the box, I’m rotating, different cover threes. I’m playing half, quarters. I got really comfortable playing a lot of different coverages and different positions. . .
“Really good playing field and then I could play boundaries. And then I cross-trained nickel in the offseason, too, so I felt pretty comfortable moving between all those positions because I knew everything on the back end.”
Fourth-round cornerback Malik Muhammad offers both outside and inside flexibility
Another rookie the Bears spent time working in at nickel was fourth-round cornerback Malik Muhammad. While Muhammad is in the running for the starting outside cornerback spot, he played 194 snaps in the box or slot during his college career.
“It is something different because I didn’t play too much of nickel in college, just on matchups” Muhammad told reporters at rookie minicamp. “It’s been challenging, for sure. Just learning the whole defense, knowing where all of the pieces go, knowing where your help is. It’s been new, but it’s been fun.”
The staff wouldn’t be cross training Muhammad inside if they didn’t feel like he could handle it and if they didn’t feel like his skillset can be used in that position as well. The Bears think very highly of this guy and what he can do.
“Really what jumped out about Malik is just his football IQ,” Matthews explained. “It wasn’t just him talking about the corner. It was him detailing all 11 positions on defense. Usually a guy like that, you feel very confident that they’re going to know what to do. Now it’s our job to help them execute it as far as the technique and fundamentals. . . Once we get to the regular season and his number is called, we have the up-most confidence in his ability.”
Don’t count out veteran defensive back Cam Lewis as a reserve option as well
The other option the Bears brought in this offseason was veteran defensive back Cam Lewis, who had plenty of experience playing at nickel and safety for the Buffalo Bills. As an undrafted player, Lewis knew cross-training was his best bet at sticking around in the NFL and he used his versatility to put together a seven-year career coming to Chicago.
“I like safety a lot,” Lewis said when asked about his preferred position. “But, I really wouldn’t put it that much higher than everything else. I like nickel because you get to be around in the box a little bit more, around the football a lot. Same with the dime position, but safety in the back end, you just see everything a little bit better. You able to go attack the ball when the ball is in the air, and then come down and lay some hits. I’m not afraid to throw these 193 pounds in the mix. So, I’m not worried about that. So, wherever I’m able to fit in and play is the position I like at the moment.”
While the latest news surrounding Gordon is unfortunate, the Bears have the pieces to handle his absence for however long he’s off the field and overall the team should feel much confident about the level of depth in the secondary.