Chicago Bears 20 Most Important Players: #9 Kyler Gordon

Our series profiling the 20 most important Chicago Bears players in 2023 continues. We are now at number 9, cornerback Kyler Gordon.

Chicago Bears training camp is just over two weeks away. In the meantime, we continue our series profiling the team’s 20 most important players in 2023. You can see the previous profiles here.

We are at number nine. At that spot is cornerback Kyler Gordon.

Gordon was the Bears’ second-round pick in last year’s draft. He had an up-and-down rookie campaign. He started out on the outside and it was a difficult time for him. As the season progressed he improved.

Then, later in the season, the coaches moved him over to the slot. There he started to thrive. He was more aggressive and made stops.

This season, the Bears drafted Tyrique Stevenson to man the outside. Having him there means that Gordon just has to worry about the slot. There, he could do more.

With having to go from outside to inside last season, Gordon was overthinking things. He was going at 100 miles per hour all the time. Now, only having to worry about the slot he can relax.

Now, Gordon does not have to think about both the outside and inside. He just thinks about what he’s asked to do in the slot. When things slow down, he is in a better place. He plays more naturally and lets his abilities take over.

During OTAs and mandatory minicamp Gordon spoke about feeling more comfortable in his second season.

I do feel extremely comfortable. I feel like I know my place, where I’m supposed to be and stuff like that, so definitely coming back this second year, I definitely don’t have any of the ‘where am I?’ like I did the first year. I feel like I know where I’m at, what’s going on.

Gordon is an aggressive, physical cornerback. The Chicago Bears made sure to draft corners 6 feet and over who are physical. They want to bring back the Monsters of the Midway mentality on defense. We are so used to seeing Chicago’s defense pound offenses into submission. General manager Ryan Poles, head coach Matt Eberflus, and defensive coordinator Alan Williams all want to see the defense do that once again.

At the slot, Gordon can do more. He can blitz the quarterback. Last season, the Bears were horrible at pressuring the quarterback. Gordon helps change that. He has the ability to blitz from the slot and get to the quarterback. He’ll provide support to the edge rushers and that should improve the overall pass rush in 2023.

In addition to pressuring the quarterback, Gordon can provide run support. As mentioned earlier, he is a physical cornerback. He is a willing tackler and can bring down the ball carrier. Run defense was another deficiency of the Chicago Bears’ defense.

In the slot, Gordon will face bigger receivers and tight ends. His physical play comes in handy there. He already has experience there and he held his own. In fact, two of his three interceptions in 2022 came while he was in the slot. He should continue to play well at that spot.

The Chicago Bears invested a lot in the secondary. They drafted eight cornerbacks in the past five years. They want to make sure they have the right combination to build a tough, athletic cornerback unit. This is a passing league so having a good secondary is critical for success.

Gordon will be a key part of the success of the Chicago Bears secondary. He looks to build on the success he had later in his rookie season and will take the next step in his development.