Chicago Bears DB Kyler Gordon listed as 5th best slot corner in the NFL heading into Week 11
If you ask the casual Chicago Bears fan how they think GM Ryan Poles has done in his tenure here, you might get some conflicting answers. Even though he’s made some odd signing’s, some regrettable trades, and hired a pretty incompetent coaching staff: Some fans still believe he can turn the franchise around and finally get back to the playoffs.
Whether or not you think Poles is the guy for the job, he’s here at the moment, and he’s definitely hit on some of his draft picks thus far. One of them being Kyler Gordon, cornerback, who’s had a great year since recovering from his hand injury. Some would even call him one of the best slot corners in the entire NFL. Hopefully, Poles can draft a few more studs like Gordon in the future.
Our latest mock has the Bears drafting a safety quite early, you can check it out here.
Today, NFL.com’s analytics team ranked the top 10 slot defenders in the entire NFL, and Gordon was a part of pretty big-time company. They listed him at 5th in the entire league, as Kyler has proven to be a bright spot in an otherwise weak Bears secondary. This is what the NFL.com writers had to say about Gordon and his impressive season.
Gordon led all Bears defensive backs in playtime last season (79.4% of defensive snaps) and he has stepped into an even bigger role this season with his slot snap rate increasing from 43.9 percent to 73.6. The second-year pro out of Washington has heeded the call, as his 5.0 yards per target allowed on slot targets is the fifth-best figure among all defenders (min. 15 slot targets).
But like Trent McDuffie, Gordon is a viable threat as a pass rusher. His five pressures are second-most among all defenders from a slot alignment (and tied for third-most among all cornerbacks), leading to the second-highest pass rush score (83) on this list.
How good can Chicago Bears DB Kyler Gordon really be?
Personally, I think he has Pro-Bowl, or maybe even All-Pro skills. It will depend on his availability, and if the Bears defense continues to improve from year to year. The body of work is there, that’s for sure.
The former Washington Huskie has really improved in his second season as a pro. Even with all of the nonsense that has come from the Chicago Bears organization this year, Gordon can be considered one of the really positive narratives to look forward to next season. Hopefully he and Tyrique Stevenson can grow together next season.
Do you think the Chicago Bears should re-sign Jaylon Johnson, or draft his replacement next spring? The secondary needs to stay healthy and perform better as a whole, regardless of the Johnson situation.
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