GM Ryan Poles caught a ton of flak over the past few months when he made cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker his top draft choices in April. Critics felt he should prioritize offense for Justin Fields. Poles didn’t flinch, stating he couldn’t in good conscience pass on those two players based on their value. Brisker quickly established himself as a quality starter, so people couldn’t complain. On the other hand, Gordon suffered through a brutal first month of the season. So he became the focal point of those criticisms.
It was hard to argue. Through the first three games, opponents targeted the rookie 28 times. They completed 20 of those passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. It was rough. Nobody could’ve expected how fast things would change. In the following three games, Gordon was targeted 16 times. While he allowed 13 catches, they only went for 78 yards. QBs went from a passer rating of 118.9 to 86.98 against him.
Kyler Gordon is getting better. This was well played. Shouldn’t have been called he’s turning looking forward the ball. He’s already improved ALOT this season. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/t9vJCGwqLj
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) October 14, 2022
Kyler Gordon had another solid game. Nice PBU here. He keeps getting better. #DaBears pic.twitter.com/7jNxgXbzoB
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) October 15, 2022
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Chicago Bears have to like Gordon’s trajectory.
His improvement is beyond encouraging for their future prospects on defense. If he and Brisker are this competent already, it should only get better with more experience. That doesn’t even include Jaylon Johnson, their best cornerback and not yet 24 years old. What makes Gordon such a welcome addition is his versatility. While his coverage has improved, he might actually be the best tackling cornerback on the roster. In six games, he’s been credited with 11 tackles for no gain or a loss. He’s only missed one tackle in that span.
It should not be understated how impressive this is for multiple reasons. Many rookies would’ve grown discouraged from such a rough start. Gordon didn’t. He kept working. How he managed to do it with little help from the pass rush shouldn’t be lost on this. The defensive front has managed 28 total pressures and five sacks in the past three games. That isn’t a lot. Yet the team held two of those three opponents under 100 yards passing anyway. Gordon’s improvement is a crucial part of that. Chicago Bears fans should be excited.
I think the injury he had in the preseason/spring training was a lingering one, he seems to be flying around much better now. 🐻⬇
It’s gonna take time for fields to progress look at Terry Bradshaw he was awful when he started and Brent favor was bad also and Rodgers sat behind favor before he starts
👏
It’s improvement like this that gives hope for the rest of the season. They have been in every game and are making steps forward. A couple of good wins will go a long way.
Wait til next year when Poles purges the rest of this roster and fills it with talent on both sides of the ball.