The Chicago Bears kick off training camp with key defensive starters sidelined, forcing general manager Ryan Poles to demand accountability as Kyler Gordon faces another setback.
With veterans reporting to Halas Hall on Tuesday, the Chicago Bears are officially back to kick off 2026 training camp.
Head coach Ben Johnson and his team will open training camp on Wednesday, followed by practices on Friday and Saturday to finish week one.
On Monday, the Bears announced that defensive back Kyler Gordon, linebackers Keyshaun Elliott and Noah Sewell, offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and defensive lineman Shemar Turner were placed on the physically unable to perform list. Linebacker T.J. Edwards will start camp on the non-football injury list.
General manager Ryan Poles addressed the media on Tuesday afternoon at Halas Hall to expand on the injured Bears. Added to the list is veteran safety Elijah Hicks, who is dealing with a shin, but Poles doesn't see that injury "as anything major."
Gordon missed 14 games last season because of soft-tissue injuries, and now the Bears' starting nickel cornerback is dealing with a calf. Despite spending all offseason at Halas Hall to prepare for the 2026 season, there's been a "delay," according to Poles.
"Obviously, he's frustrated, we're frustrated," Poles said. "We just want him back. He helps our football team, but we have to move forward with the guys that we have and when he's ready to go, he will be ready to go. Everybody here is putting all the time and effort to get him back right, so that's where that's at."
When Johnson was asked about his message to Gordon, he kept it simple: "Get healthy."
The Bears' head coach also mentioned the team will "have a healthy competition" in the nickelback room, stating that veterans, free agent pickups and rookies will get opportunities to run with the first-team defense while Gordon is out.
Poles didn't have a definitive answer on the amount of time Gordon would miss, but the Bears' GM emphasized that "he's gotta get right and I think the important thing that we've all talked about is when he gets back, we need him to stay back."
Whenever Gordon returns, it won't just be a seamless transition for the veteran.
"When he gets back, he's going to have to earn that trust back and that dependability, because we've gotta put all the guys in a good position to be successful, and the up-and-down moving guys around is really tough, so he'll have to earn that back when he gets back," Poles said.
Although the Bears' staff and Gordon are frustrated by the situation, communication has remained consistent, something Poles is adamant about maintaining.
Edwards injured his right calf while training off-site, but Poles doesn't "see that as anything major ... shouldn't be too long with that." Elliott, the Bears' fifth-round draft pick out of Arizona State, has back pain, but he's running and in "really good shape."
Even though Poles didn't have timelines for Sewell, Trapilo and Turner, who all had surgery at some point last season, he did provide some positive updates on the three players.
"Noah Sewell, he's rehabbing on his way back but he will be PUP," Poles said. "Ozzy is doing a great job, working his butt off. He looks good, so he's working, to again, get back into being a football player again. And then lastly, Shemar Turner, he's working to get back as well. He did some really good work this offseason. He's starting to move around really well."
Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo is also trending in the right direction after he tore his Achilles last season.
"Dayo did a great job with his return to play," Poles said. "I think it's always good, if you can get one of the guys who was injured in the season to be in that vet minicamp, at least, where they can start ... I think the part we don't talk about enough is just gaining your confidence back as a football player. There's some balance and body control things when it starts moving where it's more reactive than proactive, so he was able to get that phase in and then add another 5-6 weeks of training, so it's really positive. Obviously we'll keep an eye on him as we go, but encouraged by not only his work that he put into it but our staff pouring it into him to get him right."
