Bears rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon has been making a strong impression this offseason, and the expectation is he’ll be starting opposite Jaylon Johnson come Week 1.
Gordon has been “lighting it up” during Organized Team Activities, where he’s been a turnover machine. Bears linebacker Nicholas Morrow said Gordon had two interceptions on the first day alone. Simply put, there’s a lot of excitement surrounding Gordon.
“We’ll see where it goes. He’s young,” head coach Matt Eberflus said a couple of weeks ago. “He’s got a lot to learn, but we’re excited with where he is with his ball-hawking skills. No question.”
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr made some bold predictions for the upcoming season, which included a rookie finishing in the top three in interceptions. Among the names he mentioned included Gordon.
Bold prediction: A rookie will finish in the top three in interceptions
This year’s rookie class has a ton of promise. Kyle Hamilton, Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., Trent McDuffie, Kaiir Elam, Andrew Booth Jr., Kyler Gordon … someone will get picked on and make other teams pay for the mistake.
Gordon is certainly one of those guys who could get picked on. He’ll likely be the guy opposing quarterbacks target with Johnson opposite him, and that could translate to takeaways.
A huge point of emphasis for this Bears defense will be forcing turnovers, something they’ve struggled to do over the last few seasons. Chicago is hoping rookies Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker — who’s also been a ballhawk during OTAs — will help turn things around.
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