The frustrating and confusing situation involving Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon only got even more frustrating and confusing after hearing from general manager Ryan Poles on Tuesday heading into the regular season.

Prior to fielding questions from the media, Poles addressed the three players that were moved to the reserve PUP list during roster cuts in DE Shemar Turner (ACL), LB Noah Sewell (Achilles) and Gordon.

Poles said Turner and Sewell are “close” and getting ready to go. As for Gordon, Poles unprompted said “we’ll see when he comes back” and that there is still no timetable for his return.

There is hope Kyler Gordon plays in 2026 but the situation is still completely uncertain

After finishing his opening remarks, the first question asked to Poles was whether or not he envisions Gordon actually returning to the field and playing on 2026.

“I don’t know, I would hope so,” Poles answered. “I still have hope there. He’s going to have to continue to work hard and get back to playing football again.”

Gordon has been completely out of action since his brief sighting on the field back during the spring. The team’s starting nickel has been dealing with a calf injury that forced him to miss 14 games last season and there’s clearly a disconnect with how his recovery process has gone this offseason.

“I really can’t [give specificity],” Poles added. “When people are coming back from injury there’s different things that happen. Sometimes they return fast, sometimes it’s slow. It’s really a timing thing, and a healing thing, and a confidence thing. I really don’t (know) and I wish that I did. But, we’ll see.”

Gordon, the team’s former second-round pick in 2022, signed a three-year, $40 million extension with the team last offseason and figured to be a major player for this defense for years to come. When he’s on the field, Gordon is without question an impact player and one the Bears could really use. But, he’s been far from reliable the last calendar year.

“I’m not going to get all into the details of this, I really wish I had more for you all,” Poles explained. “But, anytime you have an injury and you’re coming back from something, there’s discomfort that you have to push through. And that’s what it comes down to. We haven’t been able to get over that hump and we’re not progressing as fast as we would like. That’s really all I have.”

The reality of the Kyler Gordon situation going into the 2026 season

Head coach Ben Johnson has made it clear that the Bears will not be relying on Gordon moving forward. If he comes back, great. But, for the time being, the Bears have moved forward with other options at the position that will actually help this team win games in 2026.

“I think there’s guys that are definitely capable of starting,” Poles said. “You saw them during the preseason, whether it was Malik (Muhammad II) playing nickel, Xavier (Woods), Cam (Lewis), along with Dillon (Thieneman). It’s a good room.”

As for Gordon, he will not be able to practice for four weeks while on the reserve PUP. After four weeks, a 21-day window will open to activate him and if he’s not activated, he will be forced to miss the entire 2026 season.

After this season, Gordon’s contract will have an out if the Bears decide to cut ties and move on after this frustrating situation. Cutting Gordon in 2027 will force the Bears to take on $15 million in dead cap. Trading him will cut the dead cap down to $5 million with $8.3 million in cap savings.

It’s time to start thinking ahead to one of those two being the possibility the Bears explore. The coaching staff is beyond done with Gordon and Poles’ vague comments hints that he’s showing even more frustrations as well with his former second-round pick.