Biggest Overreaction From Chicago Bears Mandatory Minicamp

A Chicago Bears injury was the source of an overreaction during the team's mandatory minicamp earlier this month.

Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon (6) and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. | David Banks-Imagn Images

We are officially in the dead part of the offseason with the Chicago Bears having completed their mandatory minicamp a few weeks back. Now, we patiently wait for the start of training camp.

In the meantime, we're taking a look back at mandatory minicamp, and this time around we're examining the biggest overreaction from it, which was centered around Kyler Gordon's injury.

Gordon has been sidelined with an unspecified soft-tissue injury since May and did not take part in any practices of OTAs or minicamp.

With both Gordon and his projected backup, Cam Lewis, both out with injuries, the Bears were deploying Jaylon Jones in the slot.

Explaining the overreaction

Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Gordon appeared in just three games last season and has never played a full campaign in his career, so his offseason injury situation is certainly ominous.

The spotlight on Gordon's injury status became even brighter after head coach Ben Johnson said it would be hard for the Bears' coaching staff to trust the veteran slot cornerback because of his inability to be available.

"We spoke last year and neither one of us were really happy with how it went just from a perspective of being available to get to know each other," Johnson said. "I think he only played in three games when I look back at it, and so, you know, this spring was going to be a springboard for us to get going in the right direction."

"We're still working through that," Johnson added. "We're still trying to get that availability piece going. We know he's a good player when he's out there but trust level is a huge thing for this team, for this coaching staff, for the locker room and you can only develop that trust by being available."

We do not believe Johnson's frustration puts Gordon in danger of losing his job, but it could lead to his leash being shorter than it otherwise would be if he struggles.

Why Gordon's absence isn't a big deal... yet

Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon. | Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

While we certainly understand why fans and analysts are making a big deal out of Gordon's injury, it's still far too early to panic and automatically assume Gordon will have an injury-plagued year once again.

After all, it's only June and training camp hasn't even begun yet, and it's not like an experienced veteran like Gordon can't overcome missing an offseason program.

That said, if Gordon is having the same issue at training camp next month and into August, we'll be concerned about it.