Top cornerback Jaylon Johnson is recovering well from the quad injury that kept him out of the last two games, but the Bears probably won’t have him against the Vikings on Sunday.
That’d be highly problematic for the defense, which is full of question marks at that position behind him.
And it’d be highly disappointing for Johnson, who has been eager for another shot at covering star wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
“That’s what I wake up and want to play this game for — those big-time matchups and just really being able to prove who I am to the world, to myself, to my team,” Johnson said.
He practiced Friday for the first time since hurting his quad in practice Sept. 22. Johnson said he did individual drills and a little bit of team reps, and Bears coach Matt Eberflus listed him as doubtful for the Vikings game. NFL coaches tend to be very liberal with the “questionable” game status, so any player designated doubtful is a long shot to play.
Still, it’s a plus for the Bears that he was back on the field. If he misses the game Sunday, there would still be optimism that he’d be ready by Thursday to face the Commanders.
Without him, the Bears would have to count on Kindle Vildor and rookie Kyler Gordon to handle Jefferson, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn.
Johnson is the Bears’ best corner by far and one of the top players on the team overall. In the first two games, he did not have a single pass thrown his way.
Working back from the quad injury has been “really a slow process” that necessitated a lot of rest. Johnson said he is itching to play, but didn’t answer when pressed on whether he felt he was ready to do so Sunday.
That said, his work Friday was promising.
“I can move pretty well,” he said. “I’m doing really good at improving my speed and my strength and stuff like that.
“It’s big just being able to move with the team and against other people. Just being able to see where I’m at, moving laterally, reacting and different things like that was a big step in the right direction.”
The Texans’ Davis Mills and the Giants’ Daniel Jones didn’t challenge the Bears’ secondary much in Johnson’s absence, in part because it has been much more advantageous to run against the Bears.
Over the last two games, Gordon allowed an 89.5 passer rating and Vildor allowed a 103.6. The Bears also gave undrafted rookie Jaylon Jones extensive playing time with 57 snaps. He didn’t play at all when Johnson was healthy.
“We have bigger issues than the young guys in the secondary,” Johnson said of the defense. “We’ve gotta stop the run initially. We’ve all gotta do a better job of that at all three levels and really [force] a team to put the ball in the air for the DBs to make plays.
“All those [young cornerbacks] are doing their jobs. They’ve just gotta keep improving, keep working on the little things.”
It helped that neither the Texans nor Giants had the strength to expose them. The Vikings, meanwhile, have much more firepower in the passing game.
Jefferson has 25 catches for 393 yards and two touchdowns in four career games against the Bears. He caught 10 passes for 147 yards last week against the Saints while being covered primarily by four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
While the possibility of Johnson sitting and Jefferson putting up a huge game is scary, it’s not as terrifying for the Bears as Johnson being out long term. If he isn’t back to full speed, it’s better to give him more time than to rush him and risk a more significant injury.
