The Chicago Bears placed cornerback Kyler Gordon (hand) on Injured Reserve on Thursday and promoted cornerback Greg Stroman Jr. from the practice squad to the active roster in a corresponding move. Gordon injured his hand in the Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers and was ruled out in the second half. The 23-year-old defensive back will now be forced to sit out the next four games. With Gordon out for a bit, Terell Smith and Stroman will compete for playing time in Chicago's secondary. Gordon, a second-round selection last year out of Washington, had 71 tackles (55 solo), three interceptions, six passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 14 starts in his rookie campaign.
As a rookie in 2022 after being the team's top draft pick, Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon was asked to play both outside and inside cornerback. This year, the plan is for Gordon to be their slot corner. "He's a good blitzer because he's physical, understands the timing, understands how to beat a block," cornerbacks coach and pass-game coordinator Jon Hoke said. "In zone coverage, he understands how to route-match based on what he's got. He understands the concepts that he's being attacked with." The move inside should allow the 23-year-old at more chances for tackles, meaning he could become valuable in fantasy IDP formats after he had 71 tackles (55 solo), three interceptions, six passes defensed, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble in 14 starts last year.
The Chicago Bears signed second-round cornerback Kyler Gordon to a rookie deal on Saturday, which brings 11 of the team's 12 draft picks under contract. With the Bears in transition, especially on defense, Gordon figures to be a big part of their future, and he's already been impressing the coaching staff. "Kyler's been lighting it up the last two days, I'll just tell you that," head coach Matt Eberflus said following a practice during the Bears offseason program. "The guy's got tremendous ball skills. He's been playing defense the right way and we're very impressed with him." Safety Jaquan Brisker, who came off the board nine picks after Gordon, is the Bears' lone unsigned rookie from their 2022 draft class.
