Bears Open 21-Day Practice Window for Kyler Gordon to Return from Injury

Defensive back Kyler Gordon will finally have a chance to earn his roster spot back for the 2026 season.

Chicago Bears CB Kyler Gordon enters the field before the game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Bears have, at long last, opened the practice window for defensive back Kyler Gordon, according to Wednesday afternoon tweet from NFL insider Tom Pelissero. Gordon, who has been on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list since the start of training camp, will now have a 21-day window to return to practice and rejoin the team. The Bears now have three weeks to either move Gordon to the active roster or revert him to season-ending IR.

The Bears may not even have a starting role for Kyler Gordon in 2026

Chicago Bears CB Kyler Gordon celebrates with a teammate at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While this is assuredly a positive update on Gordon's status, I'm not sure that his starting role from last year is even open at this point. Rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad has filled in at the slot at times to begin the season, and he's arguably been the Bears' best cornerback through three weeks. There's also Cam Lewis to contend with, another player with slot cornerback experience who signed with the Bears in August.

There's no getting around the fact that Gordon is getting paid big money to be the Bears' starting slot cornerback. However, head coach Ben Johnson has shown before that he assigns roles based purely on what's best for the team. Seniority and contracts don't figure into his reckoning at all.

We even saw that this past week in the Bears' wild Week 3 upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite the fact that Tyson Bagent is earning top dollar as the Bears' QB2, Johnson made third-string quarterback Case Keenum the starter last week. Bagent was cleared to play, but Johnson still went with the guy who he believed would give them the best chance to win.

Kyler Gordon's future with the Bears is in jeopardy

Chicago Bears CB Kyler Gordon breaks up a pass in a game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the Bears signed Gordon to a market-setting contract extension in April of 2025, they thought they were locking down one of the NFL's premier slot cornerbacks for the next three years. Instead, several different injuries limited Gordon to just three games in 2025, plus two playoff games, and he never looked quite like his best self.

Making matters worse, Gordon remained unable to practice during the team's offseason programs due to a long-term calf injury. It got to the point that Gordon's committment to returning was questioned as his absence stretched through training camp and into the regular season. Even head coach Ben Johnson has been frustrated by the Bears' Kyler Gordon conundrum.

Taking it all together, it's tough to say that Gordon's future role with the team is clear. He's an excellent player when healthy. That's why general manager Ryan Poles signed him to an extension, after all. But the best ability is availability, and Gordon simply hasn't demonstrated that he can be reliably available.

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