The Chicago Bears received a double dose of good news on the injury front ahead of their first practice for their NFL playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.
According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Bears designated cornerback Kyler Gordon and left tackle Braxton Jones for return from injured reserve, opening their 21-day practice windows and giving them a chance to potentially play against the Packers.
Gordon hasn’t played since Week 13’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday, but his return would boost a Bears defense that has rarely been at full strength in 2025. Gordon’s fill-in in the nickel role, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, is also currently in concussion protocol, giving them all the more reason to hope they can give Gordon the green light.
Meanwhile, Jones is attempting to work his way back to the roster after landing on IR with a knee injury on October 25. While the Bears are unlikely to turn away from rookie Ozzy Trapilo as their starting left tackle in favor of Jones after benching him earlier in the season, his return would give Chicago back its most experienced offensive tackle.
The Bears will kick off against the Packers at Soldier Field in the first round of the 2025 NFL playoffs at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 10, as part of Wild Card Weekend.
Is Kyler Gordon Dependable After Missing Most of 2025?
Gordon’s return to the 53-man roster would be objectively good news for the Bears. He was one of the league’s best and most consistent slot cornerbacks in 2024, regularly generating impact plays for the Bears both in coverage and at the line of scrimmage.
Unfortunately for Chicago, it is hard to imagine they’ll get the best version of Gordon in the playoffs if they activate him from injured reserve before kickoff against the Packers.
The Bears advertised big plans for Gordon in the offseason in the first year of Dennis Allen’s new defensive system, but injuries have limited him to just three games total in 2025. He suffered a hamstring injury in training camp that delayed his 2025 debut until October 13, then played only two games before a groin injury resulted in an IR stint.
Gordon returned to the active roster on Thanksgiving and played the next day against the Eagles, but he reaggravated the groin issue in Week 14 and has been down since.
Now, Gordon has still made an impact in his three games, tallying seven tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery on just 117 total defensive snaps, but the Bears should take their time scrutinizing Gordon’s abilities this week before trotting him out in the slot.
Which Other Key Bears are Stuck on Injury Report?
The Bears will now formally add Gordon and Jones to the injury report and give them the week of practice to potentially ramp up to activation, but they are not the only big names that Chicago will expectedly have on its injury report at the start of the playoffs.
Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze is, perhaps, the most consequential. The former top-10 draft pick has missed the past five games with a stress fracture in his left foot, but the team has intentionally held him out in hopes of having him available for the playoffs.
If all goes according to plan, Odunze should play for the first time since Black Friday when the Bears kick off against the Packers, but he must first make it through the week.
The Bears will also likely need to continue monitoring Gardner-Johnson (concussion) and Trapilo (knee/quad). Trapilo did not play against the Detroit Lions in Week 18 after practicing as a limited participant throughout the week, but the team may have simply sat him out to preserve him for the playoffs, which would bode well for him this week.
Bears Get Double Dose of Good Injury News Before Packers Showdown