On Tuesday, the Chicago Bears opened the 21-day practice window for defensive back Kyler Gordon and offensive tackle Braxton Jones to return from injured reserve.
The Bears had big plans for Gordon, their
starting nickelback, before the season started, but a hamstring injury prevented him from suiting up until Week 5, and then a groin injury sent him to injured reserve after Week 7.
He was designated to return and did so for Week 13 against the Eagles, but reaggravated it in warmups the following week.
In all, Gordon has appeared in three games — all Chicago wins by the way — while making seven tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery.
Braxton Jones had a slow start to his offseason as he rehabbed from ankle surgery, but he was the Bears’ Week 1 starter at left tackle. He didn’t look fully healthy and was inconsistent in his fur starts. He was benched and then placed on IR following a Week 7 knee injury.
If both Gordon and Jones are able, they’ll be activated from injured reserve to the 53-man roster before Chicago’s Saturday night Wildcard game. The Bears currently have one spot available on the 53, so one more transaction would need to happen.
The NFL only allows teams to designate two players to return from injured reserve in the postseason.
