Getty Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon has been activated back to the 53-man roster.
The Chicago Bears will have all three of their starting cornerbacks available for the first time since Week 1 in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Bears are on track to have both Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson in their lineup against the Vikings after officially activating Gordon from injured reserve to the 53-man roster on Saturday. Neither he nor Johnson carry injury statuses ahead of kickoff.
Gordon started the season as the Bears’ primary slot cornerback and should return to that role against the Vikings, even if the team decides to hold him to a snap count. He has not played since breaking his hand against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.
Meanwhile, the Bears are also expected to have Johnson back in the lineup as their top perimeter cornerback. He returned to practice this week for the first time since injuring his hamstring in Week 3’s loss and was a full participant in the final two practices of the week, allowing him to avoid an injury designation heading into the matchup.
With Johnson and Gordon back, the Bears could have their entire starting secondary available for the first time since their season opener. They still need to make a decision about free safety Eddie Jackson, who has not played since Week 2, but he has been listed as questionable against the Vikings after a limited week on the practice squad.
Kyler Gordon is Active, But Terell Smith is Out
The Bears are trending in the right direction with the health of their secondary, but not everyone in their cornerback room will have a chance to play on Sunday.
Chicago has already ruled out Terell Smith (ankle/illness) on the injury report against the Vikings. The fifth-round rookie cornerback had started the past two games on the perimeter in place of the injured Johnson and had been playing well, forcing and recovering a critical fumble in Week 5’s win over the Washington Commanders.
While Smith would have likely returned to the bench with Johnson back, it does hurt their depth if more injuries strike against the Vikings.
The Bears are also going to be down three of their running backs against the Vikings. They placed starter Khalil Herbert on injured reserve on Friday and preemptively ruled out rookie Roschon Johnson (concussion) and Travis Homer (hamstring) in the injury report.
Without them, the Bears will have to count on D’Onta Foreman, newly-signed Darrynton Evans and fullback Khari Blasingame out of their backfield in Week 6.
Bears Did Not Activate Doug Kramer for Week 6
The Bears felt comfortable activating Gordon back to their active roster after seeing him practice for a full week, but center Doug Kramer will have to wait at least another week.
The Bears opened Kramer’s 21-day activation window at the beginning of Week 6 when they designated him for return to the 53-man roster. While he participated fully in the week of practice and did not receive an injury designation for the matchup, though, the Bears decided against making a corresponding roster move and left him unactivated.
The decision with Kramer suggests the Bears are hopeful about Lucas Patrick’s status. He exited Week 5’s win over Washington with a concussion and spent the week in the NFL’s concussion protocol, but the Bears listed him as questionable to play against the Vikings and could still play him if he clears the protocol before Sunday’s kickoff.
Even if Patrick returns, the Bears might feel it is in their best interest to keep him out of the starting lineup now that Teven Jenkins is back to full strength. The Bears had been using Patrick as their starting center during Jenkins’ absence due to their belief that Cody Whitehair was their best option to fill in for Jenkins at left guard. Now, they are free of contains and can return to their original alignment on the offensive line.