Bears "Highly Likely" to Activate One Player from PUP List for Packers Game

The Chicago Bears have a very important game on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. 

There's a lot of excitement for this game, especially in Chicago. The Bears are by far the better team coming into the matchup. Even Packers fans are starting to realize it. 

There is one problem, however. 

The Bears currently have 52 players on their active roster. They need to add another player to make it 53 at some point. 

The reason they are down a man? The franchise placed Braxton Jones on the injured reserve after he sustained a knee injury in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He is no longer a part of the active roster for at least the next four games. 

Luckily for the Bears, they have multiple who are in the midst of their 21-day practice windows. This is where an NFL team can make a player on the IR or PUP list eligible to return to the team. 

The team has 21 days to decide whether the player should return to the active roster. They don't have to elevate them to the active roster during this period, but it gives them a good idea of whether they should. 

So far, the Bears have Kyler Gordon (calf), Shemar Turner (ACL) and Noah Sewell (Achilles) on the PUP list. 

Head coach Ben Johnson said at Friday's press conference that it is "highly likely" the team will promote one of those three players to the active roster to have 53 players for Sunday's game. 

"Yeah, highly likely we elevate one of them to the 53 now that we have an extra spot available," Johnson said. "So, probably do that next couple days." 

A follow-up question was asked about which player it would be, and Johnson kept his lips sealed, holding the information close to his chest. 

Bears fans would probably be the most excited if Gordon were activated. He has played in just three regular-season games since being awarded the three-year, $40 million extension in 2025. 

Without Jaylon Johnson and Gordon in the lineup for most of the year, the secondary struggled overall. The Bears' defense definitely missed having both of them on the field. 

Those same issues have lingered for Gordon this year, frustrating both the organization and its fans. Getting Gordon back for a crucial game would be huge. 

Then, there's Turner. Turner never really got to have a rookie season after tearing his ACL after five games. He has yet to record his first NFL sack because of the time he missed last year. 

It would be great to finally see him again after a long recovery process. 

The linebacker room also hasn't been the same without Sewell. After spending the first two years of his career as a rotational player for the Bears, he finally became a starter in 2025. 

He had a breakout year, recording 59 total tackles, three TFLs and one forced fumble. Unfortunately, his year was also cut short. 

Just before the playoffs, Sewell tore his Achilles in the regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions. 

Getting any of these players back for the Packers game would be huge for the Bears. Even if Chicago is the better team coming in, we know how this rivalry game can be. It won't matter what either team's record is. 

It's going to be a battle for 60 minutes. They'll need all the help they can get.