The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2023 NFL season, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. There are a number of players, coaches and front office members that are crucial to the team’s success this season.
Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2023 season. We’ll recap their 2022 season, look ahead to 2023 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.
Up next at No. 6 is cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who appears primed for a contract extension as the Bear’s top corner.
Background
Position: Cornerback
Age: 24
Experience: 4th season
2023 cap hit: $3.55 million
2022 recap
Johnson has established himself as the Bears’ CB1, and it was evident in how opposing offenses avoided him early in the season — instead targeting less proven guys like Kyler Gordon and Kindle Vildor. Johnson showed he can hang with the NFL’s best wide receivers, which was on display in his back-and-forth battle with Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown last season. Last season, Johnson totaled 35 tackles, including one for a loss, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in just 11 games, as his season was limited due to injury.
2023 outlook
Johnson is entering his third season as Chicago’s top cornerback, where he’ll lead a secondary looking to bounce back after an injury-riddled 2022 campaign. While the secondary had its share of struggles, they weren’t helped by a struggling front seven that put more pressure on the defensive backfield. Things should be better for Johnson and co. after some upgrades up front. Johnson has proven he can hang with the best wideouts in the game. But he needs to improve his ability to make plays on the ball, as he has just one interception in three seasons. But it doesn’t help that teams tend to avoid him in favor of younger, inexperienced corners. Still, Johnson has proven he can be an impact player, when healthy, and we should see more of that in 2023.
Big question: Will the Bears sign Johnson a contract extension?
There’s no doubt Johnson has earned a contract extension with the Bears given he’s cemented himself as the team’s top cornerback and he’s still just 24 years old. Johnson made it clear that he’d like to remain with Chicago for the long-term, but it’s a matter of whether both sides can find common ground on an extension. It seems like we could be close given Johnson recently signed with “Family For Life” sports agency, where he now has official representation. According to Spotrac, Johnson’s projected market value is around $7.7 million per season. In three seasons with the Bears, Johnson has one interception, 31 pass breakups and 125 combined tackles. He also hasn’t allowed a completion rate over 60 percent to his targets. But we’ve seen players who have earned extensions now with other teams after contract talks broke down. Hopefully that’s not the case with Johnson.
30 Most Important Bears of 2023
We’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears of 2023. Check back every day leading up to the start of training camp.
