Is Jaylon Johnson a core player for the Chicago Bears?

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson found himself in the team’s news cycle this week for less than ideal reasons. After running with the second team at OTAs, speculation about whether coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles viewed Johnson the same way Bears fans do — as a legitimate CB1 — ran wild.

Eberflus downplayed Johnson’s second-team status, suggesting that it was about getting the third-year cornerback up to speed with the defense (and conditioning). Johnson knows he has work to do to impress Chicago’s new coaching staff, too. And while running with the second team is an odd way to begin the coach-player relationship, it shouldn’t impact Johnson’s long-term outlook.

According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson remains one of Chicago’s top three players and a core piece of the Bears’ rebuild. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney and linebacker Roquan Smith are the other two.

It’s somewhat surprising that PFF views Johnson in this light. Their grades haven’t been kind to him during his first two seasons in the NFL. He scored a 54.9 as a rookie and improved to a 64.2 last year.

Numbers don’t tell the whole story, however. Johnson’s blend of size, length, and movement skills have translated well in the NFL and have his arrow pointing up as one of the top young cornerbacks in the NFC.

Jaylon Johnson is a key cog in Bears’ talented secondary

“It’s a complete reset,” Johnson said this week. “Everything I’ve done in the past with the other coaches, with the other staff, I mean, it really doesn’t mean anything too much. I mean, the film is not going to lie to you. But at the end of the day, they want me to show them what I can do in person moving forward.”

The Bears bolstered their secondary with the selections of cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. When combined with Johnson and safety Eddie Jackson, Chicago’s defensive backs are some of the most talented football players on the roster.

This bodes well for the Bears’ chances to be competitive in 2022 and beyond. The NFL is in the midst of an arms race, and the only way to combat the era of high-flying offense is with a bunch of really good athletes on defense. Chicago has that box checked, and Johnson is a big reason why.