Quietly, deep in the shadows of Madden covers, pass-rush fretting and splashy newcomers, cornerback Jaylon Johnson is one of the Bears’ absolute most important pieces for the upcoming season.
Hardly anyone thinks of Johnson when analyzing the Bears’ concerns and it’s easy to forget about a player whose best talent is subtly making opposing wide receivers disappear. But as he works back from a core-muscle injury that wrecked nearly all of last season, the Bears are depending on Johnson more than they have in years.
For a defense with a lot to prove, and with Johnson the second-most expensive player on the roster at a salary-cap hit of $24.5 million, they desperately need him to be the lockdown corner he was before the injury.
“He’s a vital part of what we want to do,” coach Ben Johnson said before minicamp practice Wednesday. “You know he’s been a Pro Bowl-caliber player in the past, and hopefully we can get that out of him again this year.”
Last season was so stilted for Jaylon Johnson that his coach wasn’t able to get much of a read on him. He missed training camp because of a leg injury, suffered the core-muscle injury his first game back, missed more than two months rehabbing from surgery, then returned as a limited version of himself for the homestretch and playoffs.
Johnson hasn’t talked to reporters since the end of the season, and the Bears haven’t made him available this week, but he’s been speaking up with big plays on the field, including a two-interception practice Tuesday, and his coach said culture-wise, “He’s doing everything that we ask of him, so I’m very pleased with where he’s at.”
Jaylon Johnson has been unpredictable in his seven seasons with the Bears — How many star players demand a trade, as he did in 2023, then mend fences and sign a landmark contract extension five months later? — but everything seems solid at the moment.
He was a Pro Bowl selection each of the previous two seasons. And he’s still just 27. It only feels like he’s been around forever because of the tumult he’s endured at Halas Hall in such a short time: two general managers, three head coaches, four defensive coordinators. If healthy, there’s little doubt he’ll be the same player he always was.
His contract could become an issue with two years left on his deal, but there’s no smoke on that front at the moment, and Johnson was in town for some of the voluntary Organized Team Activities early this month.
“I’m looking for him to be a good teammate, good, strong work ethic, prepared,” Ben Johnson said. “He’s done that when he’s been [here] this spring. That will carry over to training camp as well.”
All of that is promising as the Bears try to solidify a crucial position.
The last time they were this reliant on him was 2021, his second season, when he was virtually all they had at corner. That unit went from a debilitating weakness to a strength and now to a major question mark.
The Bears believed they were set, and then some, at cornerback for the long haul with Johnson and former second-round picks Tyrique Stephenson and Kyler Gordon (both 26) in place. They also have had quality backups, including current corner Terell Smith.
But there’s a never-ending question about Stephenson’s reliability, and Gordon hasn’t been able to stay healthy lately.
Stephenson hurt his foot or ankle in practice Tuesday, but was back Wednesday. He’s the top candidate to start outside opposite Johnson, for now, but will battle Smith and others to hold his spot. The Bears also drafted cornerback Malik Muhammad in the fourth round out of Texas this year, handpicked to fit defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s ideals.
Gordon, a nickel cornerback who missed 14 games because of three separate injuries last season, is out again with a new soft-tissue injury and likely will target training camp for his return.
It’s clearly a group that needs stability, and Johnson can provide it. He’s been a non-concern for most of his run with the Bears. Stick him on Justin Jefferson or whoever else comes to town, and that’s pretty much a solved problem.
According to Pro Football Reference’s charting, the opposing quarterback has thrown at Johnson five or fewer times in 55 of his 77 career games. He has allowed three or fewer completions in 56 games.
If Johnson resumes playing like that, it’ll create margin for the Bears to figure out the other two spots and weather injuries. It’ll also go a long way for a defense that’s resetting at safety with free agent Coby Bryant and first-round pick Dillon Thieneman. And for Johnson, it could earn him the additional long-term security he’s seeking.
