Jaylon Johnson came into the summer with clear intent. It wasn’t to re-establish himself as the best defender on the Chicago Bears’ roster. It wasn’t to get back to the playoffs and win a Super Bowl. No, his priority was playing well enough to earn another big contract extension. With hindsight, that might’ve been a red flag. Johnson’s priorities weren’t in the right place. Still, his track record said that he would remain a crucial part of the Bears’ defense this season. Yet we know one thing about the NFL.
It doesn’t reward past accomplishments.
No player has been a bigger disappointment to start this season than Johnson. Through the first four games of the season, he allowed 283 yards on 18 targets. Quarterbacks were completing 83% of their passes when throwing in his direction. It did not get better against the Green Bay Packers. If anything, it was a true rock bottom day for Johnson, who was repeatedly torched by wide receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden all afternoon. The most alarming part was how slow he looked.
Jaylon Johnson hasn’t been the same since his injury.
Remember, he had an adductor tear before training camp even began, knocking him out until week 2 of the regular season. Then he immediately tore his core muscle, knocking him out again until past the halfway point. When he did return, it was evident that Johnson wasn’t the same player. Even then, people felt he looked slower than usual. Not much of a fuss was raised, though. The cornerback was returning from an injury and needed time to get his legs under him again.
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Well, it’s been several months with no setbacks in the summer. He was healthy throughout the entire preparation period. Yet he still looks like this. That is a big problem. Jaylon Johnson was never overly fast to begin with. He ran a 4.5 flat in the 40-yard dash coming out of Utah. This is not a player who could afford to lose even a half step. It’s clear that he has. If this doesn’t change, the Bears’ priorities will have to instead. Forget pass rusher. Cornerback becomes their primary focus.
The Bears need more speed.
Johnson doesn’t have enough. Tyrique Stevenson doesn’t have enough. That isn’t a huge issue when you’re playing in primarily a zone defense like Matt Eberflus’. Dennis Allen prefers to play man coverage a lot. It opens up more opportunities to deploy his exotic blitz packages. None of that matters if the corners can’t cover. That is why it might be time for the team to go hunting for potential help at the trade deadline in a few weeks. Forget Khalil Mack, Josh Sweat, and Chop Robinson. Maybe they should be looking at JuJu Brents or Tarheeb Still.
Barring that, you can bet cornerback has become a top priority for the Bears in the upcoming 2027 NFL draft. Right now, four players are projected to be 1st round picks in that class. There is a strong possibility that the number goes up as the seasons conclude and the pre-draft testing period begins. With Stevenson a free agent and Johnson fast becoming a cap casualty candidate, fans should start getting used to that idea.
