Kyler Gordon was declared a bust barely a month into his rookie season with the Chicago Bears. That might seem crazy, but fans’ knee-jerk reactions were easy to understand after watching him. While everybody wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, there is no denying he was a liability in coverage during those early weeks on the team. It’s hard to pinpoint why. Maybe it was unfamiliarity with the system. Perhaps it was the Bears putting a lot on his plate as their nickel corner. Or maybe it was both.
Either way, there were calls for head coach Matt Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams to bench the embattled 2nd round pick. They refused. It was felt Gordon needed to stay on the field and work through his issues. They were confident in his talent and his mental toughness. He needed time to adjust to the NFL’s speed. Based on the numbers, he’s done precisely that.
First 5 games:
- 40 targets
- 30 completions
- 370 yards allowed
- 1 TD
- 2 passes defended
Past 8 games:
- 35 targets
- 27 completions
- 318 yards
- 1 TD
- 3 INTs
- 4 passes defended
It’s not like he’s been going against a string of nobodies, either. His two most recent interceptions came at the expense of Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen. They’ve been two of the hottest QBs in the NFL this season. If that weren’t enough, feel free to watch the tape. His confidence and awareness have taken considerable leaps. It’s allowing his talent to shine through.
Kyler Gordon is validating Ryan Poles.
Remember, the Bears GM inherited only five picks from the previous regime when he took over. Through a series of trades, he cobbled together six more for a total of 11. It’s too early to make any final judgments, but the past few weeks have been a showcase for Poles. Gordon is one such example. Fellow 2nd round pick Jaquan Brisker leads the team in sacks (4). Third rounder Velus Jones, despite his rocky season, looks like a legitimate option as a kick returner. Last but not least, 5th round pick Braxton Jones has started every game at left tackle for Chicago.
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Nabbing three legitimate starters and a quality returner with his first four picks in his first-ever draft is impressive. The fact he did it without a 1st rounder makes it doubly so. That is why Bears fans should be excited about what’s to come in the 2023 draft. If he could nab Kyler Gordon with a 2nd round pick, imagine what he could do with a top five selection next April. It is great to see the young cornerback come around. Hopefully, the team will give him more help in the form of a pass rush next year.
@BLuke No one has crowned him anything… the second line of stats is from 8 games not 5. The guy is no longer getting torched. When you have to cover for 6 seconds and 3.5, Revis would give up yards.
He was a second round pick. Not a top 5. He’s doing just fine. I think we drafted another cb after the first round a few years back that turned out pretty good. Maybe I’m just a nut.
Always looking for the silver lining; I read this article and had this thought. The D-line being terrible and giving the QBs and WRs we face much more time than they should have, could be a tough love lesson for the new kids. Making them face more targets and cover for longer and better than with a pressure bringing front 7 which will make it easier into the future.
Its still a 75% completion rate and about 12 yds a completion. Granted he does have 3 picks, but lets not start crowning him the next shutdown corner. He still has a lot of work to do. It will be nice to see what happens if the Bears can get a quality D line in front of him though.
Cornerback is one position you have to be very patient with. The college to NFL transition takes 2-3 years for the best guys to become great typically. Probably because in college they can rely on being so talented that their substandard technique can be overcome. In the NFL you have to have sound technique and understand angles, footwork, and leverage or you get burned. That stuff takes awhile to learn at the pro-level. Typically when you see a rookie cornerback shine they have an elite front 7 in front of them causing the QB to get the ball out before… Read more »