Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams considers nickel cornerback to be the most difficult position on the field. To start training camp, though, he’s put a rookie there.
For all the praise the Bears have heaped upon their top draft pick, former Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon, nothing speaks louder than the faith they’ve shown in him by letting him play the slot.
The Bears say they’re cross-training Gordon at both outside cornerback and the nickel spot, but Gordon is ready to embrace the latter. He said Thursday that he suspected during OTAs that the team would eventually move him inside and smiled when they told him of their plans to.
In head coach Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 defense, nickel cornerback is one of the most critical pieces, behind the three-technique defensive tackle and weak-side linebacker.
“It’s definitely like the quarterback of the defense,” Gordon said after Thursday’s practice. “You’ve got to know the calls, be able to communicate, be loud, efficient, fast and smart and be able to react fast. It is very important.”
There was a time when the nickel cornerback was the equivalent of the NBA’s sixth man — an important backup. The proliferation of passing, though, has rendered the nickel position as a starting job; league-wide, defenses play in nickel and dime packages more often than their own base defenses.
“Whether they thought back then it was important or not, that’s like a starting spot — and it’s a big piece,” Gordon said. “You’re going to stop a lot of good wide receivers. So I would have been excited back then to even guard that main dude that like – who could I think of? Any of those slot dudes back then, I would love to guard them in the slot, most definitely.”
Nickel cornerbacks are more active in the run game, too, something the 6-foot, 200-pound Gordon enjoyed doing when he played in the slot at Washington. Moving Gordon around would allow the Bears to play Kindle Vildor outside or, perhaps, former Ravens nickelback Tavon Young inside, depending on matchups.
“Just a lot of different things I can do there … to really show all of my abilities,” Gordon said.
The Bears have raved about Gordon’s abilities since, to their surprise, he was available with the No. 39 pick in the draft. A competitive dancer as a child, Gordon possesses unique footwork and impressive body control. Receiver Darnell Mooney said Gordon “trusts his feet” and doesn’t grab at jerseys at the line of scrimmage the way other younger cornerbacks do.
“He’s definitely going to be able to make some plays solely off his athleticism — him being physical, him being able to find the ball,” Jaylon Johnson, the Bears’ standout third-year cornerback, said. “Those are some good qualities to have as a young corner.”
Eberflus believes in the value of players being proficient at multiple positions. But there’s no question the Bears see something special in Gordon.
“He’s a heck of an athlete,” Eberflus said. “He’s uber-smart. I mean, he’s so smart. And he’s able to move in and out. He can play any position. I think the guy could play three positions if we let him — but we’re not going to do that.”
It’s two — for now.
“He’s just a freak athlete, man,” safety Eddie Jackson said. “If you see him, like, some of the plays he makes, it’s not even his man. He’s coming off his man, making plays on the ball. So just seeing how very instinctive he is. He’s smart. He’s willing to learn. He talks less, he takes everything in.
“When you have a guy like that, you know he’s going to be special.”
