Starting cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon will face the defending champion Eagles after the Bears activated both from injured reserve Thursday.
Slot cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson tipped the team’s hand for Johnson when he praised him Wednesday, calling him one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks.
“I just feel like now he probably gets a chance to actually show that, him being active this week, against a great receiving corps,” he said.
The Eagles’ receiving corps will include DeVonta Smith. He sat out twice this week because of illness and injuries to his shoulder and chest, but practiced Thursday and will play Friday.
Johnson will take the place of cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who is out with a hip injury. The Bears will likely get creative in playing Gordon and Gardner-Johnson together.
“It’s a good problem to have, and we’ll have a plan to try to utilize all the pieces that we have to the puzzle …” coach Dennis Allen said earlier this week. “At some point, everybody’s gonna have a role to play. What that role is going to be from week to week may change.”
He’ll have the added challenge, for the second straight week, of playing without any of his starting linebackers. The Bears ruled out T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring) and Noah Sewell (elbow) after they didn’t practice all week. Ruben Hyppolite II, who hurt his shoulder last week starting for Tremaine Edmunds after he was put on IR, won’t play, either. The Bears figure to start D’Marco Jackson at middle linebacker and Amen Ogbongbemiga at weak-side linebacker — and play nickel coverage most of the time.
Johnson and Gordon were full practice participants all week. Johnson has played part of only one game this year — Week 2 in Detroit — because of groin injuries that have bothered him since before training camp. The two-time Pro Bowl player tore the adductor muscle off his pelvic bone while working out at UNLV in July. He hurt a different part of his groin in Week 2 and had surgery.
Gordon appeared in only two games all year. He hurt his hamstring days before the Bears season opener and then was put on IR with a calf injury after the Saints game. •
To make room for the two, the Bears put rookie guard Luke Newman on IR with a foot injury and waived running back Brittain Brown. They also elevated tackle Jordan McFadden and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin from the practice squad.