Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon returned to practice Wednesday, opening a 21-day window to return to game action from injured return.
The Bears hope he can soon join fellow cornerback Jaylon Johnson, whose window opened Friday, and linebacker T.J. Edwards, who is not on IR but is dealing with a hamstring injury and a broken hand.
Johnson has played part of one game all year because of two different groin injuries. Gordon has struggled with his hamstrings all year, missing the first four weeks. The Bears put him on IR on Oct. 25 and coach Ben Johnson said he planned for Gordon to return later in the season.
“We clearly want them back,” coach Ben Johnson said. “They’re really good players that will certainly help us out, but I think the guys in their stead, they’ve been doing a heck of a job.”
The return of Johnson and Gordon would give a depleted Bears secondary a boost. It also begs the question of what to do with C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who has been a standout in his three games playing Gordon’s old slot cornerback spot. Gardner-Johnson also has experience playing safety and could still play on passing downs.
“I think C.J. is definitely a play-maker,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy we’re going to want on the field. When we feel good about Kyler being ready we’ll make sure we have a good plan in place in terms of how we set that up.”
After 21 days, the Bears must either put Gordon on the 53-man roster or rule him out for the year.