Jaylon Johnson endured probably the most miserable season of his Chicago Bears career from an individual perspective. It started with a groin injury he suffered while training in the spring. This caused him to miss training camp. If that weren’t bad enough, it got considerably worse early in the season when he returned to action and immediately tore his core. That caused him to miss months of action. Johnson wouldn’t return again until Week 13 for the big matchup against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Here’s the thing, though. It’s possible Johnson still returned too soon. The cornerback admitted this past week that he was still in a lot of pain when he rejoined the team. The issue didn’t truly resolve until the playoffs. Conventional wisdom says he shouldn’t have been playing, but Johnson did anyway. Why? He admitted that part of it was wanting to contribute to what was becoming the best team the Bears had fielded in years. Johnson, who’d endured multiple bad seasons since arriving in 2020, didn’t want to miss the opportunity to play for a good one.

“I easily could have sat on my ass and not played and just watch it be what it was, but for me, I felt like what I had to give was enough to contribute to the team,” Johnson said. “Of course, it wasn’t nowhere near who I could be. I feel like people know that. For me, it was just going out there competing, just wanting to be there.”

Jaylon Johnson has always been a competitor.

His goal is to play against the best. It’s been hard to do that when not making the playoffs every year. His first five seasons were a stark reminder that you don’t get as many opportunities as you think. It likely went through his head that this could be the only chance he’ll get at postseason football. Fully healthy or not, he didn’t plan to miss that. Besides, the Bears needed help. Their pass defense was a mess for much of last season. Even him at 70% was good enough to at least staunch some of the bleeding.

It reminds you how much Jaylon Johnson loves football. Only the true sickos would put themselves through borderline agony every week to play it. In the end, it worked out. Johnson’s return helped stabilize the defense enough to help the Bears finish the season strong. They won the division and hosted two playoff games, beating the Green Bay Packers and coming up short against the Los Angeles Rams in overtime. No doubt he left that field wondering how different it might’ve been if he were fully healthy.

Now he is.

There are no setbacks thus far.

Johnson arrived at training camp without any training mishaps. He’s in great shape and by his own admission pain-free. He didn’t wait long to make his presence felt, too, picking off Caleb Williams during a red zone drill on Friday. The cornerback is rounding into his old form, and just in time. Johnson admitted that 2026 feels like a contract year for him. Next season will be the last on his current deal. At 27 years old, this is probably his last chance to get another bite at the apple with a big extension.

That means he must have a major bounce-back season. The Bears have no problem with that. A motivated Johnson has always been a star player. Getting him back at Pro Bowl form makes life for everybody else on that defense a little bit easier. What remains unknown is whether anybody at cornerback can follow his lead. Tyrique Stevenson still struggles with consistency. Kyler Gordon is still hurt. Someone has to step up.

The Chicago Bears were taking a big risk. Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker had formed a more-than-capable tandem at safety for the team in 2025. Byard had seven interceptions, just one shy of his career best. Brisker played the full season and was his usual versatile self. Letting one of them walk in free agency was at least understandable due to cap constraints, but both? Byard departed for New England to reunite with Mike Vrabel, while Brisker went home to Pennsylvania to join Pittsburgh. If the Bears had a plan to fill those gaps, it’d better be good. Their solution ended up being Coby Bryant.

The veteran had just polished off a career year of his own, snagging four interceptions while helping the Seattle Seahawks win their second Super Bowl. Experts around the league had high praise both for his natural ability and his potent mix of intelligence and leadership. The primary draw for the Bears was his versatility. He had the necessary speed to handle coverage duties and was also a willing tackler in the run game. Still, fans weren’t sure what his ultimate impact would be.

Bryant gave them their first taste on Saturday.

Coby Bryant flashed all of his strengths in one big play.

After starting in the Walter Payton Center during a thunderstorm, the team moved outside once the lightning had passed. Per usual, head coach Ben Johnson always had his team practice in the elements. The defense took advantage, giving the Bears offense its first taste of frustration after multiple days of success. Bryant provided the signature highlight with his impressive interception of Caleb Williams. Aside from being a treat to watch, cornerback Jaylon Johnson added another layer. Apparently, Bryant had left his original assignment to make it happen.

“I just like guys that are confident that when they see something, they go make it happen instead of, ‘Oh, I thought about it.’ No, (Bryant) went, read the quarterback, made a good play and he wasn’t even supposed to be there for it. At the end of the day, things like that make me excited. It was a good day. We had a lot of energy. If somebody makes a play, you want to celebrate that.”

This is something not many defensive backs in the NFL possess. Most decide to stick with their original responsibility, per the coaches’ instructions. Improvising is frowned upon. However, Coby Bryant trusted his diagnosis and instincts enough to call a personal audible, shifting to where he felt the ball was going. As was often the case in Seattle, he was rewarded for his efforts. It was a great example of why the Bears coveted him so much back in the spring.

Bryant’s presence will be huge.

Not only will he be a dangerous chess piece who can direct the action from the back end, but he’ll serve as the perfect mentor to Dillon Thieneman. Chiago took the Oregon safety in the 1st round, believing he had the necessary foundation for a future Pro Bowl player. Like Bryant, he is a great mix of athletic in coverage and physical in the run game. The obvious hurdle for him will be learning to balance reading offenses and doing his assigned duty with taking those occasional gambles to make a big play.

Having one player who can do that is great. Having two? That is the foundation for something special. For the time being, the Bears are content getting the player they saw dominate in Seattle. It certainly looks like he is present and accounted for. That is welcome news for a defense that must start pulling its weight this season as expectations rise. Bryant is no stranger to that. His winning experience was part of the appeal. Now he will help raise the standards even higher.

The Chicago Bears didn’t make many big moves this offseason. It seems they were content with a couple of notable free agent additions and then focusing on the draft. That means they’re leaning heavily on their evaluations to once again produce a quality rookie class. Most of the attention will focus on the higher selections such as Dillon Thieneman, Logan Jones, Sam Roush, and Zavion Thomas. However, if last season proved anything, it’s that they will also need one of their later picks to make a contribution too. Can anybody be the Kyle Monangai of this group? Perhaps the most intriguing name was Jordan Van Den Berg.

Remember, the Bears traded both of their 7th round picks in April to jump into the 6th round to grab the Georgia Tech defensive tackle. Reports had indicated the team loved his unique mix of power and explosiveness. They were surprised he fell as far as he did. Early indications from training camp suggest they were. Adam Jahns of CHGO was the first to note the rookie was flashing in drills.

“Rookie defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg provided a highlight for the defense. He quickly skirted past right tackle Mason Murphy, an undrafted rookie, to reach running back Coleman Bennett in the backfield for what would have been a tackle for loss with live contact. It came during the final team period.”

It didn’t take long for him to pop up again on Saturday, going toe-to-toe with fellow draft alum Jones and beating him.

Jordan Van Den Berg isn’t simply picking on camp refuse.

It’d be one thing if he were beating third and fourth-string guys. Anybody can do that. The big key was whether he could make an impact against someone who would actually play on Sundays. Jones is one such example. We’re talking about a 2nd round pick with 51 career college starts. Pads or not, beating somebody like that is solid work. It is a welcome sign that Van Den Berg isn’t overwhelmed by being in the NFL. That is often what happens for young late-round picks like him.

This is where being an older rookie might actually be working in his favor. Jordan Van Den Berg is 24 years old. He owns his own business. He is a full-grown man in every sense, not a kid unfamiliar with the real world. That is why he isn’t intimidated by what’s being asked of him. Besides, Van Den Berg already knows something about overcoming tough odds. When he transferred out of Penn State, most felt that was the end for him. Instead, he found his footing at Georgia Tech and played his best football last season.

The big tests are still to come.

Van Den Berg is likely to make the roster. He’s a draft pick. Unless he completely stinks up training camp, the Bears will want to keep him around. The uncertainty is whether he can earn playing time. Right now, the defensive tackle rotation appears to be Gervon Dexter, Grady Jarrett, and Neville Gallimore. Dayo Odeyingbo will also be moved inside in key situations. That means if the rookie wants to play, he must show he deserves it. The first test comes on Tuesday when the pads go on. That is when he’ll face blockers without restrictions.

The second test will be the preseason. He can’t afford to just have some tackles and pressures. Van Den Berg needs some impact plays. Coaches won’t notice you unless you force them to. That is the law of being a late-round pick. Monangai pulled it off last year. Van Den Berg will get the same chances over the next four weeks. It falls on him to take advantage of them. It sounds like he’s off to a good start.

One thing Chicago Bears fans have learned to appreciate about Jaylon Johnson over the years, aside from his talent, is his honesty. The cornerback has never been afraid to be frank with his comments, regarding both himself and the team. If anything, it’s his greatest strength. It certainly did the organization a big favor. Many feel it was his post-game locker room crash-out in 2024 that got head coach Matt Eberflus fired. For the first time in years, Johnson looks like he’s in a good place, both mentally and physically.

His body has recovered from the brutal groin and core injuries he suffered last year, robbing him of half the season. On top of that, the Bears are finally good. Don’t forget, Johnson spent the first four seasons of his career playing on bad teams. Last season marked the first in his NFL career with a winning record. He acknowledged on Saturday that much of that is thanks to quarterback Caleb Williams. It was then that Johnson uttered a somewhat controversial phrase.

“It’s the best offense I’ve seen in my 7 years. Caleb’s the best QB I’ve had since maybe Nick Foles, if you want to go back that far. He’s doing his thing. You can see the accuracy…the confidence.”

Jaylon Johnson just outed himself a little bit.

For those who remember, the cornerback was one of the more outspoken players two years ago who didn’t want the Bears to draft Caleb Williams. He preferred the team keep Justin Fields, seeing as the team had gone 7-10 the previous year, which was an improvement from 2022. Now here Johnson is stating that not only was Fields not the best quarterback he played with before Williams, but it also wasn’t the other 1st round pick he played with, Mitch Trubisky. It was Nick Foles, who started only eight games for the Bears, going 3-5 with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Perhaps what stood out to Jaylon Johnson about Foles was his command of the line of scrimmage. He was never afraid to change plays at the line, telling wide receivers what to do. He was fearless when attacking defenses. You could argue he was trapped in a bad offense under former head coach Matt Nagy. Maybe in different circumstances, he would’ve been more successful. Either way, this is a pretty glaring statement by Johnson about his true feelings on the Trubisky and Fields debates.

One can only imagine what Johnson wanted to say.

If it took him this long for his real feelings to surface, just think what might’ve happened if he had less self-control. Jalen Ramsey probably would’ve blasted both quarterbacks at the first opportunity. Still, it’s another reminder that you shouldn’t always trust what a player says in front of the cameras. It doesn’t always reflect their true feelings. Johnson’s defense of fields was probably just him trying to be a good teammate on the off chance the Bears did end up keeping him. He didn’t want to risk looking like he hoped for a change.

Things ended up working out. Chicago got Williams, who now looks on the cusp of becoming a true franchise quarterback. Johnson has endured watching other players have the privilege for years. He must be ecstatic that it’s finally happening for him. If he can put together one of his best seasons, and Williams keeps ascending, there is a real possibility that the Bears can make a run at the Super Bowl this season.

The Chicago Bears have never really been known as a team rich in offensive weapons. There have been a few moments in time where they’ve managed to field a strong group of three or four good options. The 2013 team with Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett, and Matt Forte comes to mind. However, the cupboard has been mostly bare. That is what makes this 2026 team so different. It feels like the Bears genuinely have half a dozen options available to them: Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Cole Kmet, Kalif Raymond, and D’Andre Swift. Such depth makes it easy to forget they have more incoming options as well. Rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas stands among them.

It was a surprise when the Bears took him in the 3rd round. Draft experts saw the LSU standout as a late-round prospect because of his limited production. He was more of a return man. Head coach Ben Johnson disagreed. He felt Thomas hadn’t been used properly in college. That wouldn’t be a problem in this offense. It certainly sounds like the rookie is starting to make his presence felt. The Bears saw this in Saturday’s practice as he scored a touchdown in the final two-minute drill of the day.

Zavion Thomas did this after a tough Friday.

The rookie had been mostly quiet through the first few days of camp, taking a back seat as others like Burden and Raymond stood out. Part of the problem was his grasp of the offense. Johnson has a reputation for throwing a lot at players, regardless of their experience level. He wants to know how much they can handle. It appears Thomas had problems on Friday. There was an incident where he didn’t go in motion when he was supposed to, resulting in Johnson kicking him off the field.

Some players might’ve been discouraged by that. Thomas, to his credit, took it in stride. He put the practice behind him and went into Saturday determined to do better. That is what he did, catching multiple balls, including the “game winner.” This is another example of the Bears’ shift in draft focus. Talent aside, they’ve put a much greater emphasis on players they deem to be mentally tough. They don’t want guys who can’t handle hard work or high stakes. It seems like Thomas passed his first test.

Thomas has lots of work to do.

Right now, his chances of getting serious snaps on offense aren’t high. Odunze and Burden are already entrenched in their spots at the top, while Raymond is the projected favorite for the #3 role. That means, at best, Zavion Thomas can become the 4th option. Yet even that isn’t a guarantee because of how well Jahdae Walker looked last season. This is a fierce competition. If the rookie wants to prove himself, he’ll have to learn fast. Johnson has shown he doesn’t mind sitting young players until he deems them ready.

This is where being a return man works in his favor. If Thomas can secure the kick and/or punt return jobs, that will give him opportunities to make an impact on games. History says that big plays on special teams lead to chances for snaps on offense. That might be where he has to start this season. Thankfully, training camp is far from over. A few more positive plays like that touchdown and the conversation may soon change.