Tricky situation developing for Ben Johnson and the Bears defense
An honest appraisal of the situation at Bears slot cornerback came from Ben Johnson following Sunday's win when asked about C.J. Gardner-Johnson's play.
Or was it an extremely lightly veiled message about
Gardner-Johnson produced two more sacks and the game-changing forced fumble against the Giants while Kyler Gordon missed his third game on injured reserve. He is eligible to come off of IR after four games, if his injured groin has healed.
“I haven't been around Kyler a whole lot yet," Johnson said. "He's been dinged up, so I can't speak to that."
Ouch. It couldn't have been a good thing to hear for Gordon, who got a contract extension at $13 million a year prior to this season.
"But, listen, I love what C.J. brings to the table right now. You feel him out there," Ben Johnson said. "He's a football player. He loves to be competing. He finds himself around the ball quite a bit. I think we all appreciate that.”
Johnson's knack for big plays haven't quite been equaled in pass coverage. Turnovers are a great deodorizer. Three sacks don't hurt. Gardner-Johnson's passer rating against when targeted isn't impressive at 109.5 in the two games but Gordon's was a disastrous 147.1.
Then again, you're dealing with such a small sample size, but there's the problem.
Ben Johnson really hasn't been around Gordon much. He has played fewer snaps on defense this year (81) than Gardner-Johnson (112), and Gardner-Johnson started the year in Houston, then was on Baltimore's practice squad.
A coach can only go by what they're seeing on the field. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has been around Gardner-Johnson a lot more than he has been able to familiarize himself with the play of Gordon.
What happens when Gordon returns?
They'd like to know he truly is healthy before this happens as he was out four games to start the season.
Picking up sacks on slot blitzes shouldn't be marginalized. Nor is that a slot cornerback's primary function. Getting the job done in coverage is the goal, and the analytics say neither did that really well this year. It isn't an easy job when Allen likes to blitz so much, but what the Bears do know about both players is they're versatile.
Gardner-Johnson's best years might have been with the Eagles playing safety rather than playing slot cornerback for Johnson in New Orleans. He has played outside cornerback a little. Gordon, in 2022 as a rookie and even as recently as 2023, played some on the outside.
Gordon was probably better on the outside than Gardner-Johnson based on the amount of reps both took outside, but it's difficult to determine.
If the Bears put Gordon outside in place of Nahshon Wright, it could strengthen the coverage. In Wright's defense, this has been his first real opportunity to play longer term as a starter. In his first four seasons, he got in for exactly half as many total plays (269) on defense as he has had in this season alone (538).
Wright hasn't been terrible, although Pro Football Focus doesn't think much of his play because they grade him 90th of 109 NFL cornerbacks. He's had a few really poor games mixed in with average play, but his passer rating against is a solid 87.2 according to Stathead/Pro Football Reference. PFF puts it at a worse level of 96.1, but still not a problem.
Either way, the Bears can't be elated with his play. Otherwise, they wouldn't have displayed trade interest in New Orleans' Alontae Taylor, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported. Nor would they have brought Asante Samuel Jr. in for a look before he signed with Pittsburgh.
Whether they would be better with Gordon moving out to right cornerback remains to be seen. When he was playing outside in the past, it was usually on the defense's left side before they had Tyrique Stevenson.
It's a mix they'll need to get a better feel for when Gordon returns. It is going to happen eventually, possibly as soon as after the Vikings game, when they're preparing to face Aaron Rodgers.
Ultimately, the deciding factor for who plays slot cornerback could be the Bears pass rush and not their secondary. With three sacks in two weeks, they might be better off keeping Gardner-Johnson in the slot and blitzing because Montez Sweat can use the help. The other pass rushers aren't providing much.
Raiders’ Pete Carroll Issues Clear Message About Cowboys
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(Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)
At 2-7, the Las Vegas Raiders will be looking to end the 2025 NFL season on a positive note and lay the groundwork for a culture that can bring the franchise success in 2026. Moreover, the team will also look to play spoiler in their upcoming Week 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas has struggled defensively this season, but the team made moves before the NFL trade deadline, bringing in players such as Logan Wilson and Quinnen Williams to address those issues. Even so, the Cowboys’ most significant asset remains their offense, driven by Dak Prescott.
Ahead of the game on November 17, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll was asked about facing the opposition’s offense.
“[Prescott has] got terrific receivers around him,” Carroll said on the latest edition of “1 on 1” that was published November 11
Raiders’ Pete Carroll Talks Cowboys Defense
Dallas’ biggest weakness this season has been on defense. However, before the NFL trade deadline, the Cowboys made key additions, bringing in players such as Logan Wilson and Quinnen Williams. As Las Vegas works to get its ground game going, it will have to contend with the interior presence of Williams and Kenny Clark.
“Kenny’s always been a good player,” Carroll added. “Quinnen’s been a game wrecker, and this is the third big-time three technique we’ve faced in the last month or so. We’ll see how he factors in. He has not played for them yet, so this will be the first game, and we’ll see if we can take care of him.
“He is a big factor. They should be very excited about their program because the offense is doing what they’re counting on, and the defense is being kind of reconstructed. I think they’ll have a great future with [Brian Schottenheimer] at the helm.”
Ashton Jeanty Gets Honest About Cowboys Defense
Carroll isn’t the only one talking about the Cowboys’ defense. Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty spoke with reporters and discussed facing the unit, as he’ll be looking to capitalize on any openings in their run defense.
“Yeah, [the Cowboys] got some great players,” Jeanty said on November 11. “They just added Quinnen Williams in the interior. So, I’m sure that’ll level up their front. And, just a good all-around team. But, there’s definitely places where we can attack them and make great plays…
“[Williams is] another guy in the interior to be disruptive. I mean, he’s a game wrecker. So, we got to be ready for him. We just prepping kind of for whoever’s going to be out there. Obviously they’ve made some changes, so we’ll just prepare for that.”
It will be intriguing to see how the new additions affect the defense. Still, Jeanty could have a standout performance against Dallas. The Cowboys rank in the bottom 10 in rushing yards allowed (1,287), according to Pro Football Reference. They also sit in the bottom 10 for rushing touchdowns allowed (11) and rushing yards per attempt (4.8).
