The Chicago Bears‘ first full training camp practice is Wednesday, and the injury news on the defensive side of the football is a mixed bag less than 24 hour before that session.
General manager Ryan Poles spoke with media members on Tuesday, July 28 and offered two relatively optimistic updates in the linebacker room. However, the news was not so good when it came to the cornerbacks.
“Per Ryan Poles, T.J. Edwards (calf) and Keyshaun Elliott (back) are not expected to be out long,” Adam Hoge of CHGO Bears reported on X. “Different story with Kyler Gordon (calf). No timeline. Poles admitted the team is frustrated, and he doesn’t know when Gordon will be back.”
Poles’ exact words for Gordon amounted to a blunt message about his future.
“It’s a little bit of a repetitive situation that we gotta get fixed,” Poles said.
TJ Edwards Facing Battle for Starting Linebacker Spot This Summer
GettyLinebacker T.J. Edwards of the Chicago Bears.
Edwards is entering his fourth season with the Bears and is playing on a $20 million deal that keeps him under contract through the 2027 campaign.
However, it is that investment that might be Chicago’s best rationale for continuing to start Edwards this season, even though he has started all 44 games in which he has appeared for the Bears over the past three years.
Edwards is likely to face meaningful competition for a starting job in 2026 from D’Marco Jackson, per Aaron Leming of Windy City Gridiron.
“Physically, Jackson fits the scheme better, but the Bears’ insistence on extending Edwards last offseason causes a tough situation due to how much he’s being paid,” Leming wrote in June. “Ultimately, all three players will ‘start’ in some capacity, but as we learned last year, the ‘starting’ SAM doesn’t see the field often.”
Chicago added Devin Bush on a three-year, $30 million deal this offseason to add speed to the unit following the best campaign of his career in 2025 with the Cleveland Browns. As such, Bush will presumably start alongside whoever wins the other primary LB spot between Edwards and Jackson.
Elliott, meanwhile, is a fifth-round rookie with substantial upside. However, he is unlikely to compete for a starting role in the weeks ahead.
Kyler Gordon May Face Chopping Block in Chicago if He Can’t Get Healthy for Season
GettyChicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon.
Meanwhile, Gordon represents a bigger investment in the secondary than any Chicago has made in the LB room.
He inked a three-year, $40 million contract in April 2025 that made him the most expensive nickel cornerback in the NFL. Since then, Gordon has played just five games.
Not only was Poles openly frustrated with the cornerback’s string of soft-tissue injuries stretching back to last offseason, but head coach Ben Johnson has been publicly critical of Gordon’s availability as well — implying that the lack of it breeds a lack of on-field trust among teammates and coaches.
“This spring was going to be a springboard for us to get going in the right direction,” Johnson said. “We know [Gordon is] a good player when he’s out there, but trust level is a huge thing for this team.”
Bears Get Good News on 2 Injured LBs, Bad News in CB Room: Report