Tag: Kyler Gordon

Bears receive tough injury news ahead of showdown vs. Commanders

The Bears will be without two key starters on Sunday vs. Commanders.

The biggest injury news surrounding Sunday’s NFC showdown between the Washington Commanders (5-2) and Chicago Bears (4-2) was the status of Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Daniels did practice Friday and was listed as questionable for Sunday.

But the Bears had some injury news of their own. Chicago will be without starting safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Kyler Gordon against the Commanders.

Gordon injured his hamstring two weeks ago in the win over Jacksonville. He has 33 tackles, including three tackles for loss, one pass breakup, 0.5 sack and two fumble recoveries. Gordon is considered one of the NFL’s better slot cornerbacks.

Like Gordon, Brisker was a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft and has been a mainstay in the starting lineup. Brisker suffered a concussion in the Week 5 win over Carolina. This season, Brisker has recorded 40 tackles, including three for a loss, one sack, two pass breakups and one forced fumble.

Stepping in for Brisker will be Elijah Hicks, while Josh Blackwell likely fills in for Gordon.

The Bears have a solid secondary, led by Brisker, Gordon and Jaylon Johnson, so losing two key starters for Sunday’s game could be good news for the Commanders.

Bears defense aiming for more takeaways in 2024 season

Kyler Gordon said the Bears defense has set a standard when it comes to taking the ball away in 2024.

The Chicago Bears defense has the potential to be one of the best units in the league heading into the 2024 season.

Following a rough start to the 2023 season, the defense rebounded as one of the better groups in the NFL in the back half of the year. Chicago finished with the league’s best run defense and had the fifth-most takeaways (28).

Now, the Bears are looking to build on that success as they return most of their starters from a season ago, including All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson and Pro Bowl edge rusher Montez Sweat, and enter Year 3 in Matt Eberflus’ scheme.

Cornerback Kyler Gordon said the defense has a specific goal they’re targeting heading into the 2024 season: More takeaways.

“I feel like the biggest thing for me and what we all talk about is takeaways, more takeaways,” Gordon said during minicamp. “We have the goal of 20 and 20 — 20 interceptions and 20 fumbles. However we gotta get it, we’re gonna get it. That’s just kind of the standard that we’re putting ourselves to, that we all hold each other to.”

It certainly feels like an attainable goal after Chicago tied for the most interceptions in the NFL (22) last season. But they only had six fumble recoveries, which is something they’ll be looking to improve.

The defense has already received high praise from their offensive teammates, where wide receiver Keenan Allen, quarterback Caleb Williams and guard Teven Jenkins have referred to them as a top 5 defense in the NFL. Despite the praise, Gordon wants to show it on the field.

“I’m all about proving it,” he said. “You can say a lot of things. I would say that I definitely feel a lot from the defense as far as chemistry, energy and just the type of timing that we’re on. For all of us to be on the same page and a step further than last year, I picture a lot of things for us in the future. I’m just excited.”

Bears 2024 minicamp Day 3: Braxton Jones, Nate Davis among those not practicing

The Bears wrapped up their mandatory minicamp on Thursday with a handful of players not participating in team activities.

Mandatory minicamp is officially over for the Chicago Bears as they completed their third and final practice of the week. The Bears had a shorter and lighter practice on Thursday before the veterans break before the summer. A handful of players did not take part in team activities on the field, however.

Offensive tackles Braxton Jones and Kiran Amegadjie and wide receivers Tyler Scott and Dante Pettis missed practice for a second day in a row. Guard Nate Davis was also not participating for the second time this week. Others who were out include cornerback Kyler Gordon, defensive end Austin Booker, and wide receiver Collin Johnson. Bear Report’s Zack Pearson indicates Jones and Gordon were not present at all, while the others were not participating.

Though there were quite a few players not available, head coach Matt Eberflus continued to say it was just precautionary. The Bears veterans won’t be back on the field until sometime in mid-July, while the rookies will take part in one more organized team activity (OTA) next week.

Bears OTAs: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker among players absent for Friday’s practice

The Bears held their sixth and final OTA practice on Friday. Here are the players who were not present or did not practice.

The Chicago Bears wrapped up their sixth and final day of voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) on Friday. It was the second practice open to the media, giving those in attendance a chance to see how the team has improved from last week. As is the case for voluntary practices, though, there were a few notable players absent from Friday’s session—including much of the starting secondary.

Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon and safeties Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard were not present. Wide receiver Keenan Allen and defensive end Montez Sweat, who missed last Thursday’s practice, were also absent once again.

Meanwhile, guard Nate Davis, defensive end DeMarcus Walker, and linebacker TJ Edwards were at practice but did not participate. Guard Teven Jenkins did not participate in team drills, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Josh Schrock.

With much of the starting secondary missing, the offense was able to capitalize with a strong practice. According to The Athletic’s Adam Jahns, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams completed 13 of 15 passes in 7-on-7 against the first-string defense. It was a strong day for the young signal caller, as he was able to bounce back from a rough outing last week.

As for why players like Johnson and Gordon were absent, head coach Matt Eberflus declined to go into specifics, but it is worth noting that Johnson has a charity outing for his foundation, “Kevvy’s Vision,” this weekend in California, per The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain. Eberflus expects everyone to be back next week, however, when mandatory minicamp gets underway. Those practices take place June 4–6.

WATCH: Caleb Williams connects with DJ Moore, Cole Kmet at Bears OTAs

Caleb Williams connects with his new veteran teammates, including DJ Moore and Cole Kmet, in these Bears OTA clips.

The Chicago Bears kicked off organized team activities this week at Halas Hall, where they conducted two voluntary practices on Monday and Tuesday.

Before the Bears return to the field Thursday for their third practice, the team’s social accounts released some quick videos from the first two days.

That included a first look at rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who was dropping dimes to his new veteran teammates including receiver DJ Moore and tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett.

There was also a glimpse of third-year cornerback Kyler Gordon during drills.

The Bears will continue OTAs on Thursday (with media in attendance) before additional practices May 28-29 and May 31. They’ll wrap things up with mandatory minicamp on June 4-6 before breaking for the summer ahead of training camp in mid-July.

Bears DC Eric Washington believes LBs and DBs among the best in NFL

Bears DC Eric Washington believes the team’s back seven is “as good a group as there is in the NFL.”

There are high expectations surrounding the Chicago Bears heading into the 2024 season, and rightfully so.

While there’s plenty of excitement surrounding this offense, especially with the addition of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the defense has been flying under the radar.

Chicago’s defense was among the worst in the NFL in the first half of the 2023 season, but they made huge strides and were a top-10 unit in the final leg of the season. The addition of Montez Sweat at the trade deadline was a huge reason why.

Now, the Bears are returning their young core — including re-signing All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson to a long-term deal — and expectations are high for this defense.

New defensive coordinator Eric Washington believes the pass rusher is better this year compared to the previous year. Although, it still needs some work. But Washington had high praise for Chicago’s linebackers and defensive backs, which he believes are among the best in the NFL.

“Our back seven, I think they’re as good a group as there is in the NFL,” Washington said. “I’m biased, but having a chance to be on the football field and watch them and watch the details, there’s a lot to be excited about.”

The Bears overhauled their linebacker group last offseason with the additions of T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, and they were a big part of the defense’s success in 2023. Now, they’re back, along with Jack Sanborn, and looking to continue their dominance.

Chicago’s secondary is a young, ascending unit that made huge strides last season after struggling out of the gate. Johnson is the veteran anchor in that group, but there’s plenty of young defensive backs in place with Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith. They also added All-Pro veteran safety Kevin Byard in free agency.

With the improvements made — and the continued development of young talent — the ceiling is high for this Bears defense in 2024.

Former Saints draft pick, Alabama football star takes high-profile college coaching job

Former Saints draft pick and Alabama football star Vinnie Sunseri has taken a high-profile college coaching job at Washington:

Here’s some good news for a former New Orleans Saints draft pick: Vinnie Sunseri has taken a high-profile college coaching job as the Washington Huskies safeties coach, where he’ll be tasked with developing the next generation of defensive backs at a West Coast powerhouse with national championship ambitions.

Things have come full circle. Sunseri was a standout at Alabama during his own college playing career, and Alabama’s decision to hire Washington’s former head coach Kalen DeBoer led to a lot of turnover for the Huskies coaching staff.

Sunseri, 32, was picked by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. But he struggled to get on the field after dealing with a series of injuries. He finished his NFL playing career with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.

After hanging up his cleats, Sunseri began a coaching career at Alabama as a graduate assistant; he returned to the Patriots in 2020 to get more experience, where he first worked with the defense before moving to the offensive side of the ball for three years coaching running backs. Now he’s going back to his roots with much more responsibility under new Washington head coach Jedd Fisch.

The job comes with high expectations. Washington is fresh off a national title bid, and the school has sent many defensive backs to the NFL draft in recent years; Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon were both top-50 picks in 2022, while Elijah Molden was selected at No. 100 overall (followed by Keith Taylor in the fifth round) in 2021. Byron Murphy and Taylor Rapp were each second-round picks in 2019 with Jordan Miller also drafted in the fifth round. Sunseri will be charged with recruiting and developing players to follow in their footsteps. Good luck to him.

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Bears CB Kyler Gordon was flagged for taking his malfunctioning helmet off and NFL fans were irate

How do you get a penalty for this?!

The Chicago Bears got one of the most baffling penalties of the season while playing the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon was the victim of the horrible officiating, as his facemask got dislodged and dangled loose from his helmet.

As you’d expect, Gordon took his helmet off after the play was over since it was no longer safe for him to wear it. Rather than do nothing for a player making a sensible decision to remove a piece of faulty equipment, Gordon got called for taunting (?!) for removing the helmet.

On the sideline, Gordon seemed to be trying to show the referees that his helmet was temporarily broken, but to no avail. That seemed to have changed the penalty from taking the helmet off to the eventual taunting call, per The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain.

 

We’re going to be honest. This genuinely makes no sense whatsoever.

Calling someone for taunting for trying to show you they removed a malfunctioned piece of football gear so they could get it fixed is the kind of nonsense that gets sports officials so much flak from fans and analysts alike.

There was no reason to make this call since Gordon did nothing even remotely close to what the officiating crew alleged, and NFL fans just weren’t at all on the same page with how this call went.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

6 things to know ahead of Bears vs. Raiders in Week 7

The Bears are looking to get back in the win column when they host the Raiders in Week 7. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the game.

Pessimism regarding the Chicago Bears is at a season-high following last week’s disappointing loss to the rival Minnesota Vikings.

Not only did the team fail to match their offensive splendor that they displayed in Week 5, but the Bears also lost quarterback Justin Fields to a thumb injury that may keep him out a few weeks. Any hopes of a miraculous playoff run are all but dead, and questions are once again being raised about the future prospects of head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, as well as Fields himself.

With so much ire polluting the air, it’ll be good to take a breath and look forward to next week’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. The two teams have a surprising amount of connective tissue, from both starting signal-callers having various injury issues to a blockbuster trade that fundamentally changed the direction of their respective franchises.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of Bears vs. Raiders in Week 7.

Good, bad, and ugly from Bears’ Week 6 loss to the Vikings

The Bears suffere another loss to the Vikings in Week 6. We break down the good, bad and ugly from the Week 6 game.

The Chicago Bears failed to take down a shaky Minnesota Vikings team in Sunday’s 19-13 loss, and several questions have been raised about the team’s future.

People are concerned on how serious the injury quarterback Justin Fields suffered in the third quarter of the game is, but the whispers of replacing the quarterback in the long term have only gotten more brazen. The same goes for head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who failed to give the team the tools it needs to string together a potential win streak.

Week 6 was an absolute mess, so let’s try to sort through the muck as we go over the good, bad and ugly from the Bears’ Week 6 loss to the Vikings.