The Chicago Bears‘ defensive backfield could ultimately prove one of the better secondary groupings in the league this season, but much of that hinges on the health of CB1 Jaylon Johnson.
Johnson suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury while training away from the team in July, which threatened to keep him on the non-football injury list (NFI) into the month of September. Had that happened, the Bears’ top defensive back (and arguably the best defender on the team) would have missed at least the first four games of the campaign.
Chicago removed Johnson from the NFI list late last month with optimism, though far from certainty, that he would be ready for the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at Solider Field, which will air on the season-opening broadcast of “Monday Night Football” on September 8.
Johnson finally spoke about his injury on Tuesday, September 2, revealing the nature of the issue and addressing candidly his chances of playing six days from now.
“Jaylon Johnson said he suffered a groin injury and is eager to get back on the practice field today, though isn’t sure yet for the Bears’ opener next Monday night: ‘This week will be important to me getting the pads back on,’” Chris Emma of 670 The Score reported via X.
Jaylon Johnson Coming Up on Normal Recovery Time for Mild-to-Moderate Groin Strain
GettyChicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
Courtney Cronin of ESPN reported Johnson’s injury on July 22, which means he’s had at least six weeks of recovery time since sustaining what fans and media members now know was a groin strain.
That type of soft-tissue injury has a history of lingering and recurrence. A Grade 1 strain would have likely seen Johnson back on the practice field by mid-August, so it was probably more serious than that.
The other way to consider the situation, however, is that the Bears simply proceeded with an abundance of caution and gave the two-time Pro Bowler more of a chance to heal. That would be the best-case scenario and probably mean that Johnson is good to go for Monday, and perhaps even 100 percent.
A Grade 3 strain almost certainly would have resulted in Johnson remaining on the NFI list and missing the first month of the campaign. That didn’t happen, so it’s likely he didn’t suffer the worst type of injury possible.
That leaves the most probable diagnosis as a Grade 2 strain, which Cleveland Clinic says typically takes between one month and two months to recover. By the time the Bears take the field against Vikings next Monday, Johnson will have had seven weeks (approaching two months) to heal.
Jaylon Johnson Crucial to Bears Secondary, Entire Defense for Myriad Reasons
GettyCornerback Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears.
The secondary is going to be crucial to the success of Chicago’s defense in 2025 for several reasons.
First and foremost, the rest of the division should be able to move the football through the air prolifically and proficiently, with the one exception potentially being the Vikings and second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy who has yet to take a regular-season snap in the NFL.
But the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, the latter of which now has rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden and third-year tight end Tucker Kraft coming off a big 2024 season catching passes for them, are going to be difficult to stop.
Beyond that, Chicago doesn’t have an elite pass-rusher. Montez Sweat was a Pro Bowler in 2023, but his sack total dipped from 12.5 that season to just 5.5 sacks in 2024.
The Bears should be able to get some pressure from the interior, but if the team doesn’t add another edge rusher like free agents Za’Darius Smith or Jadeveon Clowney, the secondary is going to be asked to cover more effectively for longer stretches of time.
Chicago also has questions at the CB2 position, where Tyrique Stevenson was battling for his starting spot with Terell Smith before Smith tore his patellar tendon and lost the season. Stevenson had a down year in 2024 after a relatively strong rookie campaign, and the loss of Smith also means less depth in the position group.
As such, Johnson’s presence to both the secondary and the defense as a whole is crucial. That being said, Chicago can’t afford to rush him back too quickly and risk further injury, as losing Johnson for multiple weeks or months could prove catastrophic to the team’s 2025 campaign.
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