Kyler Gordon didn’t have the start to August he wanted. He missed a large portion of training camp with an undisclosed injury. Then when he returned, he suffered from inconsistency as he tried to get back up to top speed. His first appearance of the preseason in Seattle was a mixed bag. He made some mental mistakes but also flashed his obvious talent. Week 3 in Cleveland offered him one last chance to build some momentum for opening day in September.
Gordon didn’t waste it. The Chicago Bears defense was excellent throughout the first half against the Browns, forcing multiple 3-and-outs. Gordon was a primary contributor during that stretch, making two tackles, including one for a loss. However, his best play came on 3rd down in the second quarter when Cleveland tried to hit tight end David Njoku for a conversion. Gordon showed great awareness and made an excellent diving play to force an incompletion.
Kyler Gordon is such an active and versatile player.
What makes him so scary is he’s not a one-trick pony. It isn’t all about coverage with him. He plays the entire game. He will cover a receiver or tight end on one play, then he’ll streak into the backfield to tackle the running back or blitz the QB. He can do it all. If he can play that kind of good coverage against a starting NFL tight end, it is scary to think what he might become with more experience.
This era of pro football is defined by teams that can play coverage. The Bears already know they have one good cornerback in Jaylon Johnson. If Kyler Gordon plays up to his potential in the coming months, that secondary has a chance to be something special. It is easy to see why GM Ryan Poles had him circled as the clear-cut choice even before the Bears went on the clock in April. They knew what he could become in this defense.
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Yes – as others said – Bears have newfound discipline, and they seem more upbeat, team-like
And the Trestman era, and the Fox era and most every other era
People can say what they want but I see a new team that is disciplined and making plays. Very refreshing after the Nagy era.
The best part of these games is them not shooting themselves in the foot in the worst possible situation.