Coming off their bye week, the Bears will find themselves in a better position on the health front than their previous game. Most notably, cornerback Kyler Gordon is set to make his season debut on Monday. 
Gordon has dealt with a hamstring injury since training camp, and he missed each of Chicago’s first four games as a result. The recently-extended cover man was a full participant in practice today, however, and he is not listed on the Bears’ injury report. Gordon will thus make his first regular season appearance of the year against the Commanders in Week 6.
Chicago’s secondary has been without Jaylon Johnson for essentially the entire campaign. He is currently on injured reserve while recovering from surgery after suffering a groin injury during his Week 2 debut. Johnson could return to action late in the year, but for the foreseeable future he will remain unavailable. That makes Gordon’s health particularly important.
The 25-year-old was a high priority this past offseason with respect to his contract situation. It came as no surprise when a long-term pact was worked out in April. Gordon landed a three-year, $40MM extension, cementing his status as a core member of Chicago’s defense moving forward and making him the latest slot corner to land an eight-figure AAV. Gordon was tapped as a candidate to see time on the outside in 2025, and with Johnson out of the picture it will be interesting to see if defensive coordinator Dennis Allen follows through with his summer plan on that front.
In other Bears injury news, linebacker T.J. Edwards is also back to full strength after suffering his own hamstring ailment. Edwards exited Week 2 as a result of the injury and he missed the following two games. When Chicago takes on Washington, though, the second level of the team’s defense as well as its secondary will have a key figure back in the fold.