The Chicago Bears are looking to make a quick recovery from the 31-7 drubbing they took last week at the hands of their arch-rivals, the Green Bay Packers.
Starting quarterback Caleb Williams appears poised to make his comeback from injury when the Bears travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons on Sunday, but Chicago now appears to be getting good news on their defensive side as well, with the latest injury news announced Saturday.
The Bears activated cornerback Kyler Gordon from the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list Saturday, clearing him for Sunday’s Week 6 game at Atlanta, according to an official statement by the team.
Chicago had until Oct. 20 to activate Gordon or shut him down for the season, according to Chicago Sun-Times reporter Jason Lieser, and a calf injury had already cost him the first five games of 2026.
Gordon is set to make his 2026 debut, though the team plans to ease him in with a limited role, according to an ESPN report by Jeremy Fowler. Chicago also signed defensive back Nick McCloud, placed defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo on Reserve/Injured and released defensive back Xavier Woods, according to Chicago Bears correspondent Larry Mayer.
Kyler Gordon Calf Injury Timeline for Chicago Bears
Gordon missed most of the offseason program with an undisclosed soft-tissue injury. On July 28, general manager Ryan Poles identified the calf as the problem.
“Obviously, he’s frustrated. We’re frustrated,” Poles said, as quoted by NBC Sports. Player and front office were waiting on a return date nobody could give.
The injury cost Gordon all of training camp and the preseason, and the Bears opened his 21-day practice window Sept. 30, according to a report by Mayer. Because he started the year on the PUP list, he had to sit out the first four games.
Then came a near miss. Gordon practiced in full two weeks running and carried a questionable tag into the Green Bay Packers game, yet the Bears left him on the list for a fifth straight absence.
Injuries also limited Gordon to three regular-season games in 2025, Mayer reported. He came back for both playoff games, against the Packers and Los Angeles Rams.
Kyler Gordon Return Impact on Chicago Bears Secondary
Gordon is the starting slot cornerback, and Cam Lewis and rookie Malik Muhammad have split those duties in his absence, according to Chicago Bears On SI analyst Andrew Hughes. Tyrique Stevenson, on the outside, has allowed a 143.8 passer rating and owns a 44.4 Pro Football Focus coverage grade, Hughes reported.
Muhammad, a fourth-round pick out of Texas, played all 50 defensive snaps against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, Mayer reported.
Stevenson is questionable Sunday with a hip injury, and linebacker T.J. Edwards is out with a hamstring injury, according to NBC Sports.
Gordon, 26, was the first draft pick of Poles’ tenure, taken 39th overall in 2022 out of Washington, according to NFL.com. He started 14 games and intercepted three passes as a rookie.
In 2024, he set career highs with 75 tackles and three fumble recoveries, and Pro Football Focus ranked him 20th among all cornerbacks with a 76.0 grade, Smith reported.
That season led to a three-year, $40 million extension in April 2025, with $31.256 million guaranteed. At $13.33 million per year, it made Gordon the league’s highest-paid slot cornerback.
Chicago visits Atlanta on Oct. 18 and hosts the New England Patriots four days later. How many snaps Gordon gets at Atlanta remains to be seen.
Bears Announce New Kyler Gordon Injury Update Before Falcons Game