The Chicago Bears have already engineered a series of unexpected trades this year. Khalil Mack went to Los Angeles. Robert Quinn headed off to Philadelphia, and Roquan Smith to Baltimore. It was a clear message from GM Ryan Poles that he aims to build this team from the ground up. Players either too old or wanting too much at a non-premium position will find employment elsewhere. Most fans likely assume those trades are over. Now the actual building begins, right? Well, not necessarily. The team may have to address one elephant in the room.
Jaylon Johnson felt like an obvious candidate to keep long-term. He’s an athletic cornerback, only 23 years old, and plays one of the most critical positions on defense. It sounds crazy to think he might be a trade candidate too. There are a few reasons to believe it’s possible.
1. Poles didn’t draft him
Every player the new GM has unloaded thus far was acquired by Ryan Pace. Johnson was drafted in 2020. That may sound unfair since Pace also drafted Justin Fields. Yet there is one significant difference between the two. It is something that isn’t talked about enough.
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2. Productivity
Fields has scored 18 touchdowns this season with seven interceptions. He’s amassed 2200 yards from scrimmage as well. He’s playing well enough to justify sticking around. The same can’t be said for Johnson. Think about this. The cornerback has played in 34 games in his career. Over that span, he has one interception. One. Remember, Matt Eberflus places heavy emphasis on turnovers. The simple matter is Johnson doesn’t get his hands on the ball enough. Also, keep in mind quarterbacks have a 102.1 passer rating when targeting him.
3. The contract
This last part is the most important. Next season will be the last of Johnson’s rookie deal. He will be expecting an extension. Anybody with common sense knows cornerbacks are expensive. We’re talking $16-20 million per year for the top 10. It is a virtual certainty he will seek numbers in that range. The Bears will have three options. Either they give him that money, let him play out the deal and leave as a free agent in 2023, or trade him.
Trading Johnson won’t cripple Chicago Bears defense any more than it is.
Everybody saw Sunday’s game against Detroit. Jared Goff had a productive afternoon regardless of whether Johnson was on the field or not. People will try to blame an injury. That is a poor excuse. He was a non-factor last week against Miami too. Yes, Kyler Gordon has struggled this year, but he already has the same number of interceptions in his career as Johnson, and he’s only played ten games. It is time to accept that this is probably who he is. A decent cover corner that won’t ever be known for taking the ball away.
Don’t forget Charles Tillman had seven interceptions by the 34-game mark in his career. Kyle Fuller had six. It is okay to hold Jaylon Johnson to a high standard and say he hasn’t met it. Just because he’s the best cornerback the Bears have doesn’t mean he should be treated with kid gloves. A trade isn’t guaranteed. However, it should definitely be taken as a serious possibility. Plenty of signs point in that direction. He has seven games left to change his narrative.
