A lot of people are nervous about the state of the cornerback position on the Chicago Bears defense. Two of their three primary starters are gone from last year. First Buster Skrine and then Kyle Fuller. That is a lot of talent and experience gone in one fell swoop. The team did add veteran Desmond Trufant but that hasn’t made a lot of people feel better. One person who doesn’t seem to be sweating it much? Second-year man Jaylon Johnson.
The former 2nd round pick certainly made his presence felt as a rookie in 2020, delivering the most passes defended of the entire draft class with 15. His coverage was smothering at times and he had a direct hand in two interceptions for teammates. All the signs were there of a good future pro. Nobody seems to have more confidence in Johnson than the man himself.
That was evident again during his interview on the UBoyz podcast.
He was first asked what the biggest learning experience was a rookie. For him, it was no longer being the top dog. Something he’d grown used to and expected at Utah. Such was not the case in a defensive locker room loaded with Pro Bowlers. So it took a little adjusting for him to humble himself and take on the rookie mindset. With Fuller gone though? That mindset has changed.
Get a load of his answer when asked what he’s looking forward to the most in Year 2.
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“Taking over CB1.”
(Pause) “Okay. That’s something to look forward to.”
“Yeah, that’s my main focus right now. Just training my mind and my body for that.”
Not even a hint of hesitation or doubt. Typing out the words doesn’t do it near the justice it deserves. Johnson said it so nonchalantly. As if it’s already a foregone conclusion. There will be no competition. There will be no debate. That job belongs to him now and people best get used to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY7H7DxG70U&ab_channel=ChicagoBears
Jaylon Johnson has the mentality of a CB1
Some people might call his comments arrogant. If so, then that is a good thing. One common thread people will find in the best cornerbacks in the NFL? They’re all arrogant. That is kind of a necessity. Self-confidence is the only way cornerbacks can survive getting burned by receivers the way they do sometimes. That ability to shrug off the previous play and forget it ever happened by the next. This is something Johnson can do.
If he takes that next step second-year players tend to and can stay healthy? The Bears have themselves a building block for the future. At one of the most important positions in football no less. Jaylon Johnson has Pro Bowl capability. The only reason he didn’t go in the 1st round last year was concerns about his shoulder injuries. Concerns that were validated towards the end of last season.
He still has a lot of proving to do.
The question is are the Bears planning to bring in more help? Plenty of draft experts feel they could end up targeting a quarterback early. Even in the 1st round depending on how the board falls. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai seems to operate under the philosophy that coverage is what dictates a successful pass rush. If that proves true, the defense should be in pretty good hands for years to come.