While the Chicago Bears wait for Kyler Gordon to return from another soft tissue injury, coach Ben Johnson gave the cornerback a two-word directive as veteran players reported to training camp Tuesday.
"Get healthy," Johnson said.
Gordon will begin camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as he rehabs from a calf injury that sidelined him from OTAs and minicamp. General manager Ryan Poles said that Gordon had a "delay" in his recovery despite spending the offseason working with trainers at Halas Hall.
"All hands on deck to get him back," Poles said. "Coach alluded to it before in terms of his availability or the lack there of. Obviously, he's frustrated. We're frustrated."
A timetable for Gordon's return is unknown, according to Poles.
Gordon earned the designation of being the NFL's highest-paid nickel cornerback at the time he signed a three-year, $40 million extension in April 2025. Since then, he missed the majority of training camp in 2025 and was limited to five games after multiple stints on injured reserve last season.
"A little bit of a repetitive situation that we've got to get fixed," Poles said. "And then when he gets back, he's going to have to earn that trust back and that dependability, because we've got to put all the guys in a good position to be successful, and the up-and-down moving guys around is really tough, so he'll have to earn that back when he gets back."
After Gordon landed on injured reserve for a second time in October 2025, the Bears signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson to fill the void in the secondary. Gardner-Johnson appeared in 10 games with seven starts with the majority of his snaps taken at slot corner, but has since moved on to the Buffalo Bills.
The Bears don't have the same quality of depth at nickel this year. Cornerbacks Josh Blackwell and rookie Malik Muhammad have played in the slot sparingly and could be tabbed to fill in for Gordon during camp.
Poles said frustrations around Gordon's struggles to stay healthy stem from a plan devised by Bears trainers that "hasn't stuck."
"He's got to get right, and I think the important thing that we've all talked about is when he gets back, we need him to stay back," Poles said.
Gordon was Poles' first draft pick in 2022. The second-rounder has recorded 214 tackles, five interceptions, 2.5 sacks, 17 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over four seasons.
Linebacker T.J. Edwards is also dealing with an injury to his right calf that was sustained while training off site during the summer. Though Edwards is beginning camp on the non-football injury list, Poles said the Bears do not consider his injury "anything major."
