Kyler Gordon's Commitment Questioned Amid Bears DB's Prolonged Injury Absence

One Chicago Bears beat writer wonders if Kyler Gordon's biggest issue in his recovery from a calf injury is a lack of commitment.

Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Amid what has been a prolonged absence due to injury, there is at least one Chicago Bears beat writer who is wondering if commitment might be Kyler Gordon's biggest issue.

Of course, Gordon has been sidelined the entire offseason with what was first described as a soft-tissue injury at OTAs and minicamp and was then revealed to be a calf issue at the beginning of training camp.

Head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles have not been shy about expressing frustration with Gordon's injury issue, which comes on the heels of him missing all but three regular season contests in 2025.

Kyler Gordon's commitment questioned

Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

With all of this going on as the regular season rapidly approaches, the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs wonders if Gordon is lacking the necessary commitment to return from his injury sooner.

"At this point, it’s fair to question if Gordon’s commitment to getting back on the field has been at an appropriate level," he said. "That’s not exclusive to the last three weeks. It’s confounding that he was sidelined through the offseason program after missing 14 regular-season games last year (as well as the 2025 preseason), and yet he remains on PUP."

Specifics on Gordon have been scarce throughout the offseason, although that isn't necessarily anything new for a Johnson-led Bears team that doesn't exactly offer up a ton of injury information.

What has been telling and lends credence to a possible issue with commitment is how the Bears have spoken about Gordon's situation.

Take Saturday, for example, when Johnson offered a sentence-worth of updates on Braxton Jones and Montez Sweat but only offered up a one-word response when asked about Gordon.

"Unknown," Johnson said of Gordon's timeline.

It isn't often you get both a head coach and general manager to express frustration with a player's injury situation, but that is exactly what has happened in Chicago with Gordon.

“We are frustrated. He is frustrated," Poles admitted at the outset of training camp. "It's a little bit of a repetitive situation that we gotta get fixed."

“When he gets back, we need him to stay back," Poles added.

"Get healthy," Johnson said of his message to Gordon in what was yet another short-and-sweet answer on the slot cornerback.

Accusing a professional athlete of a lack of commitment is a lofty and damning charge, especially when that player is making a lot of money like Gordon is.

However, when you put all of the information we have together, it's not crazy to at least consider this could be the case with him.