Bears CB Kyler Gordon Sends Clear Message on Playing vs. Commanders
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Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon.
Chicago Bears slot cornerback Kyler Gordon will make his 2025 season debut against the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football in Week 6, with confirmation coming from the man himself following Tuesday’s practice.
“I will be playing,” Gordon told reporters after Tuesday’s practice, via Marquee Sports Network’s Nicholas Moreano. The 25-year-old had missed the first four games with a hamstring injury that he sustained in training camp, one that worsened in Week 1.
When asked if his status for Monday night’s game is confirmed and if he is completely recovered from his injury, Gordon added, “Yeah, no pump fakes. No pump fakes.”
Gordon’s return could help spark the Bears defense against quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Commanders offense. While their other cornerbacks have stepped up in his and Jaylon Johnson’s absences, Gordon is one of the NFL’s better nickel defenders, coming off a 2024 season in which he tallied a career-high 75 tackles and five pass deflections.
The Bears (2-2) will kick off against the Commanders (3-2) at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday.
Will Bears Keep Gordon in the Slot vs. Commanders?
The Bears have missed Gordon. He is one of their most consistent defensive players and was one of the first players that new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen name-dropped in his introductory news conference in January after coach Ben Johnson hired him.
When he returns to play Monday night, though, will the Bears keep him in the slot?
After playing some outside corner as a rookie, Gordon moved into the nickel role full-time for the Bears in his second season and never looked back after hitting his stride. In the offseason, however, Allen indicated he would explore playing Gordon both on the perimeter or at the safety position, determined to take advantage of his versatility.
“Does he go outside and compete at outside corner?” Allen said about Gordon in April. “Does he compete some at safety? I’ve told him that he needs to be learning both of those spots. We’ll figure out where that second position is where he can go and compete. Hopefully, we can find some more playing time for him.”
On one hand, Gordon has thrived in the slot for the Bears, bringing consistency as both a pass defender and run defender. He also ranked 32nd out of more than 200 eligible cornerbacks as a run defender, according to Pro Football Focus’ grading metrics. The Bears could use that right about now to help fix their second-worst rushing defense.
With Johnson out for the foreseeable future and strong safety Jaquan Brisker sitting out Tuesday’s practice, though, moving Gordon is something the Bears may consider.
Multiple Bears Starters Still Sidelined With Injuries
On Gordon’s word, the Bears will have at least one starter back for their secondary for Monday night’s game against the Commanders, but there are a few other injuries and absences that could potentially pose problems for them heading into prime time.
According to The Chicago Tribune’s Sean Hammond, the Bears did not have Brisker, rookie tight end Colston Loveland, right tackle Darnell Wright, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett or placekicker Cairo Santos at Tuesday’s first practice of the week; however, he added that only included the portion of practice open to members of the media.
The Bears did not issue an injury report for the day and won’t until after Thursday’s practice, when they are first required to report practice participation for Week 6’s road game. Loveland, Jarrett and Wright all missed Week 4’s game with injuries, though, while Santos injured his quad in the third quarter of their win over Las Vegas.
As for Brisker, clarification about his absence — whether it is injury or something else — will have to wait until either the staff chooses to talk about it in the days ahead or the team releases its first injury report on Thursday afternoon.
Steelers HC Explains What's Happening With Pat Freiermuth
After tight end Pat Freiermuth played just 21 snaps against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin laid out the reasoning behind his reduced role as the team prepares to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 6.
"We have a certain personality, particularly when we play 4-3 teams," Tomlin said. "I haven't been bashful about that. That's why we drafted Darnell Washington. You can't play 4-3 teams with 250-pound tight ends. You can't. The weight classes in combat sports [are] for a reason, and so when the EDGE people are 300 pounds, you better have somebody out there that looks like that animal. And so that was our intentions [against] Minnesota, and so certainly as we move into divisional play in the next couple of weeks and we're playing two 4-3 teams, chances are you're gonna see more of that.
"It's unfair at times to ask guys like Pat Freiermuth and Connor [Heyward] to block 4-3 ends. That's not real realistic if you want to have a real good run game day."
Freiermuth's Performance vs. Vikings
Freiermuth's 21 total snaps against Minnesota was the lowest count of any game he's appeared in across his five years in the NFL thus far.
The 26-year-old was charted by Pro Football Focus as having just seven run blocking reps after logging 19 against the New England Patriots, who run a 3-4 base defense, during Week 3.
Freiermuth's Role Moving Forward
As Tomlin insinuated, Washington should see more playing time against 4-3 defenses due to his 6-foot-7, 264-pound frame and the fact that he's widely regarded as one of the better blocking tight ends in the league.
Washington, whose 55 total reps vs. Minnesota was his most in a single game since Week 6 of the 2024 campaign, helped kickstart a Steelers run game that had been dormant all season long. The team went off for 131 yards on the ground against a stout Vikings defense even without starter Jaylen Warren healthy, as Kenneth Gainwell led the way with 99 yards on 19 carries.
Freiermuth, while not necessarily a subpar blocker, certainly isn't anywhere near Washington's level in that regard. His value to Pittsburgh comes from his prowess as a receiver, and while he's hauled in just seven passes for 65 yards so far this season, he's coming off a 2024 campaign in which he recorded 653 yards to go alongside seven touchdowns.
If the Steelers' game plan against 4-3 defenses doesn't warrant Freiermuth getting a ton of reps, however, than it's hard to justify see him seeing the field over Washington based on his threat level in the passing game.
Pittsburgh's offense looked the best it has all season against the Vikings, and it sure seems as though Freiermuth will continue to take a back seat over the coming weeks as the Steelers take on the Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
