Almost any coach or general manager will say they can’t possibly get enough defensive backs.
The Bears actually might have enough.
Ryan Pace left Ryan Poles a list of problems, but the secondary was glaring. In Pace’s final season, the Bears basically had Jaylon Johnson and a bunch of fringe players at cornerback. They had mainstay Eddie Jackson at one safety spot, but continuously paired him with short-term rentals.
In two seasons, Poles overhauled the secondary to make it the team’s strongest unit. It is arguably his and coach Matt Eberflus’ greatest success in acquiring and developing talent. That group has made an even greater impact since the Bears established a pass rush, and the team hopes to keep that synergy going Sunday against the Browns.
Poles inherited Johnson and Jackson, then filled the other starting spots by using second-round picks on cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson and safety Jaquan Brisker. The Bears also have at least three backups they’d trust to start in cornerbacks Josh Blackwell (undrafted) and Terell Smith (fifth-rounder) and safety Elijah Hicks (seventh-rounder).
Other than Jackson, 30, all of those defensive backs are 24 or younger, and most are on team-friendly contracts through at least 2025.
“Looking to the future, it’s a very solid group,” said Johnson, in his fourth season but still 24. “We have a lot of young guys that are building together. And I’m the old guy... I’m able to give them wisdom and share my scars.
“It’s a part of stability, as well, having core guys that aren’t just on one-year deals and guys coming in and out. We have a pretty solid group to build around.”
Assuming Johnson is part of it.
He’s the key, and as he heads toward free agency, his contract status has been concerning. The foundation in the secondary is great, but Poles must keep it together.
Johnson seemed like a lock to get an extension before the season started, but he and Poles haven’t connected on numbers. The outlook dimmed enough for Johnson to ask for, and receive, permission to explore trade options in October. Nothing materialized, and he was back at Halas Hall the next day.
Through it all, the turbulence hasn’t rattled him. He’s actually having his best season and has seriously strengthened his leverage.
Johnson leads the Bears and is fourth in the NFL with four interceptions, and Pro Football Focus ranked him the No. 3 corner in the league heading into Week 15 and charted the opponent passer rating at 26.2 when quarterbacks target him.
“As crazy as this may sound, man, [the contract] is the least of my worries,” Johnson told the Sun-Times. “I’ve gotta wake up every day and deal with things in my personal life that are a lot harder than worrying about a contract. [The contract] is gonna happen. It’s not like I’m fighting for my career in that area.
“I’ve been good at football my whole life and I’m only getting better, so that’s not hard for me to stay committed to that process.”
Poles has said repeatedly he wants to keep Johnson and can use the franchise or transition tag to secure him for next season if they can’t negotiate an extension — Over The Cap projects those numbers to be $18.4 million and $15.9 million, respectively.
Johnson would stir a bidding war in free agency. Spotrac’s most recent market value calculation was a four-year deal worth $68.8, but that feels conservative given how well he has played and how vital his position is.
That’ll get settled in the offseason. For now, the Bears have every piece necessary to have one of the NFL’s best secondaries. The defense got 11 takeaways over the last three games, and the secondary contributed six of those.
“We like that it’s starting to come to life, and everyone’s starting to see it,” Jackson said. “It’s starting to pay off.”
