LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears opened Kyler Gordon’s practice window to return off injured reserve on Wednesday afternoon. Head coach Ben Johnson made it clear in a subsequent press conference that defensive involvement for C.J. Gardner-Johnson will remain high.

“C.J. is definitely a playmaker,” Johnson said in a Thursday press conference. “He’s a guy we’re going to want on the field. When we feel good about Kyler being ready (to play), we’ll make sure we have a good plan in place in terms of how we set that up.”

Gardner-Johnson considered that positive news. The veteran defensive back loves playing in Chicago and being in Halas Hall with a largely veteran secondary that has largely been awesome and makes game-changing plays.

He was signed at the start of Week 8 to replace Gordon in the slot, and has been dominant in that position. Gardner-Johnson has 19 tackles, including four for a loss, three sacks and a forced fumble in just three games.

[MORE: Kyler Gordon injury update: Bears open practice window for cornerback]

He fits right into defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense, a scheme he played in within after getting drafted by New Orleans. He enjoys the locker room culture and is having fun.

“We’re all playing together,” Gardner-Johnson said in an interview with Marquee Sports Network. “We trust each other and we’re doing everything we need to do to win a football game.”

Despite Gardner-Johnson’s high-level play, Gordon won’t be relegated to backup duty. He’s far too good for that.

How, then, will the Bears deploy their star defensive backs once Gordon and even Jaylon Johnson are healthy? That remains an unknown and won’t be a real factor until those two are activated off IR.

Versatility provides options. Gardner-Johnson has been and impactful slot cornerback and a safety. Gordon has experience playing slot cornerback and on the outside.

Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard III likely aren’t getting unseated at safety. The Bears could move either Tyrique Stevenson or Nahshon Wright out of the lineup for Gordon, and they’ll do that when Jaylon Johnson returns.

Allen’s willingness to live in subpackages and creatively use defensive backs will help solve this good problem. He has played three safeties extensively already this season. He can load up at cornerback or even play Gordon or Gardner-Johnson in a hybrid linebacker role.

Ultimately, it’ll likely be a mix of all those things. The Bears will be better for having so much talent on the back end if they creatively find ways to accentuate each player’s strengths. That said, there are only so many secondary spots and everyone won’t get to play every snap.

All that’s in the future, and Gardner-Johnson stays rooted in the present.

“I’m excited right now, seeing the group that we’ve got,” he said. “I have been part of deep (position groups) and this is one that can help win games and get to a championship.”

[READ: Kevin Byard III, Nahshon Wright analyze interceptions from Bears Week 11 win]

Ben Johnson: Bears dealing with ‘werewolves’

The Bears have faced some tough edge rushers this season and handled them well (except Maxx Crosby, of course). T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith torment quarterbacks from the outside, with 12 sacks between them.

Those guys get pressure and it happens fast.

That creates real problems for the Bears pass protectors and Ben Johnson as the offensive play caller. If you favor just one side, the other guy can win some one-on-one matchups. Accounting for both with extra attention limits what can go on down the field.

“They’ve got some werewolves on the outside that shows up,” Johnson said. “They have some of the, between (Nos.) 56 and 90, I mean some of the best first steps I think you’ll see in this league. So when you have both sides that you’re concerned about, that’s where you got to be pretty creative as a play designer to make sure that they don’t affect the game in a negative fashion. So, I think those guys, they hop off the tape immediately, both in the run game and the passing game.”

Bears missing three LBs

The Bears didn’t have their top three linebackers available for Wednesday’s practice, a rough way to start the week of prep. T.J. Edwards hasn’t practiced in weeks with a hamstring issue, but Tremaine Edmunds (groin) and Edwards’ replacement Noah Sewell (elbow) had new injuries reported.

The Bears are often conservative early in the practice week with activity increasing as it progresses, so it’s too early to forecast doom and gloom over the position group. The injury situation will be something to monitor, though.

[READ: Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers reacts to ‘incentive’ to play Bears in Week 12]

Safety Jaquan Brisker (shoulder) missed the on-field work as he did last week before practicing Friday and playing the Vikings a few days later.

Among the limited participants, it was notable that center Drew Dalman (knee) and right tackle Darnell Wright (pectoral) are dealing with some health issues.

Here’s the full Bears participation report:

The Steelers were also missing some key components in Wednesday’s practice, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers (left wrist), running back Jaylen Warren (ankle), edge rusher Alex Highsmith (pectoral) missed practice due to injury.