The Chicago Bears are gearing up for an exciting 2025 NFL season, which features some new faces within the organization poised to get the franchise back to its winning ways. That starts with the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach, as well as overhauling the interior offensive line, adding pieces on defense and a potenital impactful rookie draft class.
Every day from now right up through training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2025 season. We’ll recap their 2024 season, look ahead to 2025 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.
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We have reached the top 10 with Kyler Gordon, the talented nickel cornerback who is poised to flourish in Dennis Allen’s defense.
Background
Position: Cornerback
Age: 26
Experience: 4th season
2025 cap hit: $4.6 million
2024 recap
Gordon’s 2024 campaign was similar to his other two seasons ever since he came into the league: he was solid for much of the year, had a few stellar standout performances, but also missed time due to injury. The defensive back nicknamed “Spider-Man” was his usual instinctive self around the line of scrimmage, sniffing out quick plays and making his presence felt as the team’s slot corner. His stats were consistent with his career averages, though he set a career high in tackles for loss with four. Gordon’s best outing came in Week 17 when he almost single-handedly gave the Bears a victory with six total tackles, one forced fumble, and one pass deflection. His forced fumble was nearly returned for a scoop and score until instant replay overturned the score. Nevertheless, Gordon has established himself as the clear second-best cornerback behind Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson on the Bears roster.
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2025 outlook
The Bears’ new coaching staff has big plans for Gordon. Almost immediately after coming on board, both head coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen singled him out for his excellent play and skill set. The front office showed it wasn’t just cheap talk, either. Earlier in the summer, general manager Ryan Poles signed Gordon to a three-year extension worth up to $40 million, with over $31 million guaranteed, marking the first for the 2022 team draft class. It’s a sign of faith for the young playmaker, who should play an important role in the secondary this year. And given Gordon’s difficult position that he has to man, the fact he will most likely return with the same starting cornerbacks and safeties from the previous season should be a boost for the defense’s overall chemistry.
Most Important Bears of 2025: Kyler Gordon
Big question: What role will Gordon play in Allen’s defense?
These days, nickel cornerbacks are vital to NFL defenses, which is why Gordon is as high as he is on this list. But will he stay at that spot for the majority of the 2025 season? Allen is excited about the opportunity to work with Gordon and could opt to try him at outside corner or even safety. With Gordon’s natural instincts at the line of scrimmage, there’s a chance we see him play a strong safety role in certain packages. Some of the responsibilities may not be too different from the plays he was asked to make under Matt Eberflus, but Allen seems to want to experiment with Gordon throughout the secondary. His potential versatility will be something to watch when practices begin, and they could make Gordon even more valuable than he already is going into his fourth season.
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30 Most Important Bears of 2025
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 30 Most Important Bears of 2025: Kyler Gordon (No. 10)