The Chicago Bears are still in wait-and-see mode with star cornerback Jaylon Johnson after their final practice for Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Johnson, who remains on injured reserve, returned to full participation in practice on November 20 for the first time since he underwent core-muscle surgery in September.
When asked the next day whether Johnson would suit up against the Steelers, though, Bears coach Ben Johnson addressed the situation with ambiguity — and a slight grin.
“I don’t know, we’ll see,” Johnson said before November 21’s practice.
Short Week Could Delay Jaylon Johnson’s Return
Johnson returned to practice last week and earned a “questionable” designation on the team’s injury report for Week 11’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, but the Bears downgraded him to out before game day, an unsurprising move given the two-time Pro Bowler has logged only a handful of practices since the start of training camp in July.
The Bears gave Johnson the same treatment on Week 12’s injury report, listing him as questionable against the Steelers after he fully participated in Friday’s walkthrough.
Even still, the Bears have a short week looming with a Black Friday matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles next week, which could tempt them to hold off on Johnson’s return.
“Like I said all along, we’re going to be really smart with all these guys that are out there,” Johnson said Friday about the short week. “Fortunately for us, it’s a five-day span. Most teams have to deal with a four-day span, so we’re fortunate in that regard. We’re conscious of it, we’ve been very smart this week. We’ve scaled back the volume a little bit just with that in mind out on the practice field while still getting the work in.”
Jaylon Johnson Getting ‘Competitive Reps’ in Practice
The Bears will have plenty of time left to activate Johnson back to the 53-man roster if they leave him on IR for Week 12’s matchup with the Steelers. He is just seven days into his 21-day activation window, meaning the Bears won’t face a hard deadline with him until just before Week 14’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
That said, Johnson has also been handling “competitive reps” in practice this week, a potential sign that the Bears won’t need to wait the full 21 days to return their star.
“He’s getting a lot of competitive reps over the course of this week,” Johnson said. “I notice a sticky player. He’s all over our receivers, whether he’s taking defensive team reps or show team reps. He’s getting a little bit of both, just making sure we’re getting that volume to where it needs to be. It’s good versus good a lot of times, and yet he’s able to stay pretty close and pretty tight. Good change of direction. He’s been able to open it up and some long speed as well. Those are the things I’m looking out right now.”
The Bears (7-3) kick off against the Steelers (6-4) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 23.
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