Bears’ potential Kyler Gordon replacement earns firm Ryan Poles endorsement

Cornerback Kyler Gordon’s status with the Chicago Bears is murky at best. The franchise added some extra depth at the position when they acquired Clark Phillips III in their Gervon Dexter trade with the Atlanta Falcons.

Phillips is still getting acclimated in Chicago and figuring out his place on the defense. But the cornerback has a clear supporter in general manager Ryan Poles, who came away extremely impressed by his work on tape, via his Tuesday press conference.

“Definitely going to add depth to our corner room,” Poles said. “We liked from the tape that we watched our man cover skills. Short area quickness is really good, speed. Sticking in coverage. We’re looking forward to getting him on board here and get going.”

“We’ll see, he just got here” Poles said of the cornerback’s official role. “Most of his tape in Atlanta was outside. In college he was inside. I like what that tape looked like too. I think he’s capable of both.”

Phillips predominantly worked on the outside during his time with the Falcons. But he has experience playing nickel, and his 5-foot-9 185 lb frame points to him operating in the slot. Moreso, the Bears have a clear need at nickel as long as Gordon is out.

Wherever he is on the field though, Poles is expecting production once Phillips is fully up to speed.

Clark Phillips III looking to make impact on Chicago Bears 

Phillips was originally a fourth-round pick by the Falcons back in 2023. He appeared in 11 games as a rookie, starting five of them before appearing in 16 games with two starts as a sophomore. Phillips’ 2025 campaign was wiped out after one game due to a triceps injury. Over his 28 total games in Atlanta, Phillips put up 63 tackles, 10 passes defended and one interception.

The fact the Bears traded for him shows the cornerback is past his triceps injury. But now, he must find his place on Chicago’s defense. Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson are set to start outside. Malik Muhammad and Cam Lewis will get the first crack at nickel. Where Phillips lines up is yet to be seen; perhaps he plays both inside and out.

What is important though is that Phillips now plays for the Bears. He’ll be looking to add another element to the secondary throughout 2026. Poles as full confidence that the cornerback will make an impact.

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