Reinforcements appear to be on the way for an injury-depleted Bears secondary.

Defensive back Kyler Gordon was designated to return to practice Wednesday, opening a 21-day window to activate him off injured reserve. The same move was made with Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson last Friday.

While the Bears lead the NFL with 15 interceptions, they're still eagerly anticipating the return of two of their top defensive backs, both of whom were limited in Wednesday's practice.

"We clearly want them back," said coach Ben Johnson. "They're really good players that will certainly help us out, but I think the guys in their stead, they've been doing a heck of a job."

Gordon missed the first four games of the season with a hamstring injury. He played in back-to-back wins over the Commanders and Saints but has been sidelined since suffering calf and groin injuries in practice during Week 7.

The Bears signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson to play nickel back in Gordon's absence and the seventh-year pro has excelled, registering 19 tackles, 3.0 sacks, four tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble in three games.

Johnson revealed that Gardner-Johnson will continue to have a role on defense even after Gordon returns.

"C.J. is definitely a playmaker," Johnson said. "He's a guy we're going to want on the field. When we feel good about Kyler being ready, we'll make sure we have a good plan in place in terms of how we set that up."

Jaylon Johnson has been limited to one game this season due to two separate groin injuries, the second of which required surgery.

Ben Johnson will continue to monitor Gordon and Jaylon Johnson throughout the practice week in advance of Sunday's home game against the Steelers.

"We have a plan in place," said the Bears coach. "It's something that we have a lot of trust in support staff. Between the training room and then our sport science department, we'll make sure that we're acclimating them properly.

"The last thing we want to do is put a player in a spot where he could potentially hurt himself again. So we'll be very smart about that. At that same time, I know they want to be out there and they're pushing hard to be game ready, whether that's this week or not. But we're doing all of our due diligence to make sure we're smart about it."

With Gordon and Johnson sidelined, multiple defensive backs have stepped up. Cornerback Nahshon Wright has made the most of expanded playing time, establishing career highs with nine starts, 43 tackles and four interceptions, tied for the second most in the league behind Bears safety Kevin Byard III's five. In four previous NFL seasons with the Cowboys (2021-23) and Vikings (2024), Wright made only three starts.

Wright twice burned his former team, returning an interception 74 yards for a touchdown in the season opener against Minnesota and then making a leaping pick in the end zone in last Sunday's 19-17 win over the Vikings.

Cornerback Nick McCloud has also made a positive impact, appearing in 10 games with four starts and playing 53% of the defensive snaps this season.

"We feel good about the depth of our positions, and we've been saying all along guys that are on the practice squad to guys that were special teamers to start the season, whenever their number gets called and we need to count on them, for however long we need to count on them, they need to be ready," Johnson said.

"We've had some good play there in the back end. McCloud's been a guy that comes to mind. He just goes out there, and he battles at nickel, outside corner. I'm really proud of what he's been able to put on tape. He just competes his tail off."