NFL analyst breaks down why Kyler Gordon is Dennis Allen’s secret weapon and how he makes the Bears’ defense more dangerous
Kyler Gordon’s return is huge for this unit.
The Chicago Bears got two huge additions back defensively against the Philadelphia Eagles in Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson and standout nickel Kyler Gordon, who have each missed extended periods of time during the 2025 season.
Without Johnson and Gordon, the secondary has had an up-and-down season. In terms of takeaways, there’s no better defense than the Chicago Bears, but the unit has been giving up far too many big plays both in the run and pass game and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has had his hand tied behind his back when it comes to his creativity.
Now that they’re back, we saw some of that creativity start to really shine last Friday. Granted, Johnson noted he’s still not 100 percent back from his rehab progress which is why he wasn’t able to shadow Eagles WR A.J. Brown. But, with Gordon, we really got to see how impactful he is to this defense.
Kyler Gordon is the secret weapon for this Bears’ defense for the final push
All in all, Gordon played 36 defensive snaps, which was three more than Johnson, and showed the team wanted to keep him on a pitch count as well in his first game back. Gordon finished the game with just one tackle while allowing five receptions for 58 yards on six targets. But the stats don’t tell the full story.
“I do think, you can feel Kyler Gordon against the Eagles,” NFL analyst Nate Tice said on the latest Football 301 show. “There are several moments where they did some disguise stuff and just because Gordon is so smart. There’s this one play, the first third-down that the Eagles had, and everyone is getting on the Eagles design that they run all the time, and really the play blew up because Kyler Gordon, of the disguise that they ran, and Kyler Gordon jumped the route.
“This is just one guy, I’m going to say this defense is going to become Top-10 all of a sudden. But, they’re just not going to be awful like they’ve been when Kyler Gordon is not on the field.”
Before that point, Trice laid out some on/off stats involving the defense with and without Gordon this season but the most notable one to me was that the Bears have a 38.8 percent blitz rate, which is second in the NFL, when Gordon is on the field. And it’s not just Gordon that’s being sent at the QB.
What makes Friday’s game even more fascinating of a defensive tape is that it was the first game where Dennis Allen got to use both Gordon and C.J. Gardner-Johnson on the field together in a dime package, which really stresses things for the quarterback trying to diagnose the defense.
“I think it’s just a one-two combo really,” Gordon told Nicholas Moreano in the locker room on Tuesday. “I think it’s confusing for the quarterback or disguising with who’s going to do what or where.”
On the play Gordon broke down with Moreano linked below, Gordon and Gardner-Johnson both walked down to the line of scrimmage showing blitz, only to sent Gordon and drop Gardner-Johnson back in coverage. With the pressure, Jalen Hurts rushed the throw over the middle to Dallas Goedert, allowing Johnson to get a diving PBU on third-down.
It’s just one play, but it gives a small taste of what Gordon’s presence brings to this entire defense and the creative opportunities it creates for Dennis Allen to attack the offense. And that’s not even factoring in Gordon’s versatility when it comes to lining up at various positions defensively.
He is truly the ace card for this defense and is the secret weapon that can make this unit more dangerous for the final stretch of the regular season.
Chicago Bears News
Ben Johnson sets the record straight on QB Caleb Williams after previously expressing frustrations with the Bears’ passing game
He likes what he’s seeing out of his quarterback.
