After soft-tissue injuries limited Kyler Gordon to just three regular-season games in 2025, the Bears' nickel cornerback enters the 2026 season with the most to prove on defense.
As the 2025 Chicago Bears defense forced takeaway after takeaway, Kyler Gordon mostly watched his teammates from afar.
That’s because Gordon played in just three regular-season games. Soft tissue injuries derailed his four season in the NFL, sending him to IR twice throughout the year. The 26-year-old defensive back was activated off IR on Jan 10., ahead of the wild card matchup against the Green Bay Packers. He also played the following week against the Los Angeles Rams.
In April last year, general manager Ryan Poles signed Gordon to a three-year, $40 million extension with $31.25 million guaranteed – signaling the organization’s belief in the player. Instead, Gordon was missing in action and added to what was a depleted Bears secondary.
With how the 2025 season ended, Gordon is the player with the most to prove on defense this year.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen likes players who bring versatility to a defense. He emphasizes cross-training at different spots to provide multiple options to his scheme.
Gordon’s skill set matches that vision.
The 6-foot, 200-pound defensive back has mostly lined up at the nickel position, but he did play 295 snaps at outside corner in his rookie season and did so at the University of Washington.
“He’s played more outside corner, so obviously that would be the comfort level,” Allen said last April. “Some of the things that I see him do and the way that he fits in the run game tells me that he could be a fit with safety also. We’ve had guys that have had the flexibility to play a lot of different positions. I think that’s important in today’s football where you’re not just locked into one thing. Being able to be multiple and do a lot of different things.
That’s something that I think he can do. As we get to know him better, spend more time with him, start to get out on the field with him a little bit more, we’ll have a better feel for where that second position might be, and where we want to try to work him.”
Safety, corner, nickel. They were all options for Gordon this past season. But he missed most of training camp and the regular season because of injuries, so it wasn’t possible to see all the potential fits in Allen’s defense.
He played just 213 total defensive snaps (including the postseason), allowing 14 receptions for 177 yards and a touchdown. He registered two pass breakups and two sacks.
Getting to know the player was also a difficult task, which head coach Ben Johnson alluded to after Gordon went on IR for the second time in December.
"It's disappointing," Johnson said. "I wish I had a better feel for the individual, but with him being out as much as he has, I haven't really gotten to see him on the field and competing and get to know him like I'd like to at this point yet. I do know that the biggest predictor of a soft tissue injury is having a previous one, and he's kind of in this rut right now that we're not able to get out of, and so we're going to exhaust all of our resources in and outside of the building to make sure we're addressing it and doing what we can to get him back and healthy again."
Gordon hasn’t played in all 17 games in his four seasons in the NFL, missing 23 games since 2022. His first three years in the league earned him his $40 million contract extension. Even looking at just the base stats from those seasons leaves more to be desired: five interceptions, 17 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 1.5 sacks and 207 tackles.
In those initial three seasons, Gordon has allowed 147 receptions on 194 targets for 1,660 yards and seven touchdowns.
Poles made Gordon his first draft pick as the Bears' general manager. He got an extension. Now, he needs to prove he can stay healthy and become the dynamic, versatile playmaker that the team envisioned when he signed his lucrative contract.