Bears finally made the roster move fans have been anticipating for weeks and it shows the team's defense is about to get scary in Philly
The Chicago Bears are gearing up and getting ready to head out to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles on Black Friday but before taking off, the news Bears fans were waiting on for weeks finally arrived just in time for Thanksgiving.
The Bears will be activating cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon from the injured reserve with the expectation that both players will be in action against the defending champs, a move head coach Ben Johnson alluded to on Wednesday.
“We've got a plan in place for them, and we're really right on track with what we're hoping to get done with them," Johnson said on Wednesday. "So we'll know soon enough.”
Reinforcements are coming back at the right time for the Bears defense
Last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bears defense was beyond banged up, playing with their LBs 5/6 and their CBs 4/5. The linebacker room is still looking to be depleted based on the availability at Wednesday's practice, but the cornerback room is getting a massive boost with Johnson and Gordon back.
"The moment we started practicing them, it was the big picture in mind," Johnson added. "How do we acclimate them? Make sure that we're putting them in a good spot. So, throughout the course of weeks of practice, we've been able to slowly increase their rep count there. We'll be very mindful that when we do get them up and going in a game, we don't want to throw them into the wolves or put them in a bad spot."
Return of Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon creates a 'good problem to have' for Dennis Allen
With Johnson and Gordon finally back in the fold, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has some tough decisions to make with how he deploys his personnel on Friday and finding the best 11 to put on the field against the Eagles' offense.
"It's a good problem to have," Allen said on Tuesday. "We'll have a plan to try to utilize all the pieces that we have to the puzzle. We'll try to utilize those to the best of our ability to try to get ourselves in the best position to be successful."
Johnson, the team's back-to-back Pro Bowler, has been out of action for essentially the entire season. His absence opened the opportunity for a player like Nahshon Wright to earn some serious playing time, which isn't something the team expected going into the season. Wright's made the most of it too, co-leading the NFL in interceptions with teammate Kevin Byard after the first 12 weeks. What the Bears do with him moving forward was a hot topic this week.
"Everybody's going to have a role. He's certainly earned the right to play," Allen added about Wright. "What that role is, each and every week may change. But we're going to try to find ways, if we have a guy that we think can help us win games, we're going to try to find ways to get them on the field."
The same goes for Gordon, who's been out of action since Week 7. After Gordon went down, the Bears went out and signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson to man the nickel position in his absence and he's made quite the impact the last few weeks since joining the team.
“I think C.J. is definitely a play-maker and so he’s a guy that we’re going to want on the field,” Johnson said. “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.”
Ultimately, this is a great thing for the Bears and it's going to let Allen get even more creative with his scheme getting two key pieces back in the fold. Things could get scary in Philadelphia.
Desmond Watson Released From Bucs Practice Squad
The Bucs have released defensive tackle Desmond Watson from the practice squad. The fan favorite missed all of training camp and the preseason due to being overweight, as he had not met the team’s goal for him at well over 450 pounds.
Yet when he made significant progress on his weight loss journey the team signed him to the practice squad on September 23 after a tryout following his release on August 25 during roster cutdowns.
The move was first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on X.
The Bucs released DT Desmond Watson from the practice squad.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 11, 2025
Is Desmond Watson’s Time With The Bucs Over?
Desmond Watson’s release from the practice squad was due to performance and the team needing Watson’s spot on the practice squad for another player. Watson, an undrafted free agent out of Florida, was one of three defensive tackles on the practice squad, joining fellow rookie Nash Hutmacher and veteran Adam Gotsis. With defensive tackle Calijah Kancey on injured reserve following surgery for his torn pectoral muscle, the Buccaneers have six defensive tackles on their active roster with Vita Vea, Elijah Roberts, Logan Hall, Greg Gaines, Elijah Simmons and C.J. Brewer.
This may or may not be Watson’s last chance with the Buccaneers, but the fact that he’s been cut from the active roster and the practice squad isn’t a great indicator that Tampa Bay will in fact give him another chance down the road.
The Buccaneers suffered another injury in Sunday’s 28-23 loss to the Patriots when starting left guard Ben Bredeson went down with a hamstring injury. He’ll likely miss a few weeks due to that injury and the team may need to add another guard to the practice squad. The only offensive linemen on the practice squad are guard Ben Scott and offensive tackles Karsen Barnhart and Lorenz Metz.
Tampa Bay also received news that rookie running back Josh Williams was suspended for six games due to testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The Buccaneers now only have two healthy running backs on their active roster in Rachaad White and Sean Tucker with Bucky Irving still trying to come back from foot and shoulder injuries he suffered in Week 4 against Philadelphia.
The Bucs have two running backs on their practice squad in Owen Wright, who was signed in training camp and played in the preseason, in addition to Michael Wiley, who was recently added. Wright could be signed to the active roster to replace Williams as he is more familiar with Tampa Bay’s offense.
