{"id":249968,"date":"2025-10-07T17:17:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T21:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=249968"},"modified":"2025-10-07T17:17:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T21:17:01","slug":"bears-kyler-gordon-major-boost-against-commanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/10\/07\/bears-kyler-gordon-major-boost-against-commanders\/","title":{"rendered":"Bears Set to Get Major Boost Ahead of Commanders Matchup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A headline that has haunted the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bears\/\" target=\"_self\">Chicago Bears<\/a> this season has been the number of significant injuries. The Bears already lost star <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/tag\/jaylon-johnson\/\" target=\"_self\">cornerback Jaylon Johnson<\/a> after appearing in just one game for the team, and several key starters have yet to step on the field this season. But that&#8217;s slated to change.<\/p>\n<h2>Bears Receive Good News Regarding Kyler Gordon Ahead of Commanders Matchup<\/h2>\n<p>The Bears need all the help they can get before the highly anticipated matchup against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/washington-commanders\/\" target=\"_self\">Washington Commanders<\/a> on Monday Night Football, and it looks like it&#8217;s going to come from slot <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/tag\/kyler-gordon\/\" target=\"_self\">cornerback Kyler Gordon.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>After missing the first four games of the season due to a lingering hamstring injury, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NicholasMoreano\/status\/1975655818168238081\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gordon told reporters<\/a> on Tuesday he plans to play on Monday.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kyler Gordon when asked by <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/grotesports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@grotesports<\/a> if he will play against the Commanders on Monday Night Football:<\/p>\n<p>&quot;I will be playing.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>That is confirmed?<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Yeah, no pump fakes, no pump fakes.&quot; <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZVgDG7IFHC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ZVgDG7IFHC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NicholasMoreano\/status\/1975655818168238081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been annoyed not playing,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CourtneyRCronin\/status\/1975652202870964275\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gordon said.<\/a> &#8220;But like, mood been good just attacking rehab, but definitely excited to be out and that&#8217;s all I been looking forward to is playing with my guys and helping the team.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Bears&#8217; defense has been disappointing this season, giving up an <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/tylermwebb\/status\/1975562459869290650\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">average of 29 points per game,<\/a> tied with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/dolphins\" target=\"_self\">Miami Dolphins<\/a> for third-most in the NFL. Gordon, who signed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagobears.com\/news\/roster-moves-bears-sign-db-kyler-gordon-to-three-year-extension\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three-year, $40 million extension<\/a> earlier this offseason, is a valuable member of the team and will be a huge boost the Bears need to stop <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/tag\/jayden-daniels\/\" target=\"_self\">Jayden Daniels<\/a> and the Commanders&#8217; offense.<\/p>\n<h3>More Good News on the Defensive Front<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_249977\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-249977\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-249977\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Austin-Booker-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Austin Booker\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Austin-Booker-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Austin-Booker-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Austin-Booker-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Austin-Booker-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Austin-Booker-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Austin-Booker-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/10\/Austin-Booker-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-249977\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nov 3, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker (94) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It&#8217;s not just Gordon that the Bears will be getting back. Bears head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BradBiggs\/status\/1975612167027368261\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ben Johnson announced<\/a> that the 21-day practice window has opened for <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/tag\/austin-booker\/\" target=\"_self\">defensive end Austin Booker<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/tag\/travis-homer\/\" target=\"_self\">running back Travis Homer.<\/a> Both players have been on injured reserve (IR) and now have the ability to be elevated to the 53-man roster.<\/p>\n<p>The big story surrounds Booker, who had a strong preseason and was projected to be the third pass rusher behind <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/tag\/montez-sweat\/\" target=\"_self\">Montez Sweat<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/tag\/dayo-odeyingbo\/\" target=\"_self\">Dayo Odeyingbo.<\/a> He&#8217;s been sidelined since August 17th with a knee injury, but the hope is that he will return soon.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You felt the pass rush there, particularly in the game setting,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/2025\/10\/07\/chicago-bears-austin-booker-return-practice\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Johnson said before practice on Tuesday.<\/a> &#8220;I saw it in practice and the joint practices as well. He [Austin Booker] was a guy that was able to affect the quarterback. That&#8217;s something that we talked about as a unit today: points of emphasis, where we can improve. Obviously it&#8217;s the penalties, it&#8217;s the run game, but affecting the quarterback, we&#8217;re not doing a good enough job of it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Now, with Booker potentially coming back to the active roster soon, the hope is that he can be a player who helps turn the Bears&#8217; pass rush around. &#8220;That&#8217;s really where I saw Booker making the biggest impact in the preseason,&#8221; Johnson said. &#8220;We&#8217;ll have to see where he is now back on the practice field.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Booker is hopeful he can return in the game against the Commanders, saying, &#8220;I feel extremely conditioned, but football conditioning is completely different. You can&#8217;t really prepare for that. But I feel amazing. &#8230;I am itching to get out there and go hit the quarterback.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>All around good news for a Bears team that&#8217;s struggled with injuries. Adding Gordon back will be huge, and the hope is that Booker and Homer can return as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Image: Kiyoshi Mio &#8211; Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Chicago Bears are set to get a major boost for the matchup against the Washington Commanders with the return of cornerback Kyler Gordon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4976,"featured_media":249976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,36,6431],"tags":[32544,9108,5966],"class_list":["post-249968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bears","category-nfl-news","category-nfl-teams","tag-austin-booker","tag-kyler-gordon","tag-travis-homer"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249968"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249981,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249968\/revisions\/249981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}