Bears fill Kyler Gordon injury void by signing controversial 2-time Super Bowl starter

With cornerback Kyler Gordon back on Injured Reserve, the Chicago Bears are taking a gamble on talented-but-temperamental C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

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When the Chicago Bears welcomed cornerback Kyler Gordon back from an injury recently, head coach Ben Johnson was giddy. He said Gordon was a player that could "unlock" the team's defense.

Don't look now, but they're locked up again already.

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After Gordon missed the first four games with a hamstring injury, he's back on the shelf with groin/calf ailments. With him on Injured Reserve and out at least until Week 12, the Bears had to search for another key defender. Quickly.

They found one in a player who brings a load of both talent and temperament ... C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

He undoubtedly is an impact player, evidenced by starting 16 games at safety and coming up with six interceptions for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Despite that contribution, the Eagles traded him during the offseason to the Houston Texans. He played only three games for them before disagreements with the coaching staff got him cut. He then was signed by the Baltimore Ravens, but was released a week later before ever playing a snap.

Bears Gambling on Talented, Risky Player

In Gardner-Johnson, the Bears are getting a player with a nose for the football, the experience of starting two Super Bowls, but also plenty of locker-room baggage. That's where Dennis Allen comes in.

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In Chicago, Gardner-Johnson will be reunited with the Bears' defensive coordinator who was in New Orleans when the Saints drafted him in 2019.

Playing without top three injured cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Gordon, the Bears gave up 30 points to a backup quarterback in last week's loss to the Ravens.

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