The Chicago Bears still have some holes to fill in their defense, including the safety spot opposite of Coby Bryant. Could versatile defensive back Kyler Gordon be in the Bears' plans to solidify that position?
Let's continue the fan mailbag questions that were submitted on X.
Make sure to check out Friday's article, asking if the Bears would prioritize defense in the first round or go in a different direction.
Here is another question centered around the Chicago Bears' defense.
With how Dennis Allen talked about using Kyler Gordon at safety, would you be surprised if with pick 57 they took someone like D’Angelo Ponds and paired Gordon with Bryant? -- @EBoch828
Really appreciate the question, Bochantin.
I recently wrote about Kyler Gordon, naming him the Bears' defender with the most prove this upcoming season. He just signed a three-year, $40 million extension with $31.2 million guaranteed but played in just three regular-season games in 2025.
Gordon needs to stay healthy so he can become more of a regular in Dennis Allen's defense.
Here's what Allen said about Gordon last April.
“He’s played more outside corner, so obviously that would be the comfort level,” Allen said. “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.”
Allen's early vision for Gordon involved the versatile defensive back potentially playing safety and just taking on more of that role, but the Bears' defensive coordinator, along with head coach Ben Johnson, just didn't get a chance to be around him enough to learn what his second position could be since he was injured for a majority of the season and went on IR, twice.
Could Gordon be a full-time safety? I'm hesitant to say that's the direction the Bears would go, but it would allow Gordon to stay on the field a lot more than what he has done previously in his career. Jaquan Brisker played 1,072 snaps (99.9%) last season—a far heavier workload than Gordon’s 725 snaps (67.9%) through 15 games in 2024.
But let's say the plan is for Gordon to move to safety alongside Coby Bryant. That obviously creates an opening at the nickel position, and Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds, who you brought up, would be an awesome addition to this secondary.
Pond has primarily played on the outside throughout his three years at Indiana -- 1,891 career snaps compared to just 28 in the slot. Although he is listed at just 5-foot-9, 182-pounds, he makes life difficult for any opposing receiver, regardless of the size difference.
Most likely, Ponds would play as a nickel defender in the NFL, and his physicality in the run game combined with his hip fluidity makes him a dangerous defender and asset to the other 10 players on defense.
He has seven career interceptions and 26 PBUs. In the College Football Playoff National Championship against the Miami Hurricanes, Ponds allowed just one reception on six targets for one yard. That's elite production.
This Bears defense still has some holes to fill, and Gordon's playmaking ability gives Allen multiplicity. The Bears' defensive back just needs to prove he can stay on the field to show everything he can accomplish this upcoming season.