Expectations are high for Bears third-year cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who’s quietly had an impressive first two seasons in the NFL.
Johnson has been among the best young corners, but there’s still plenty of room for him to grow. The one thing that has eluded him have been interceptions, as he’s had just one interception in his first two seasons. But his ceiling is high.
One of the bigger storylines this offseason was news Johnson was running with the second-team defense during Organized Team Activities. But head coach Matt Eberflus said not to read into it — that it was more of Johnson getting up-to-speed with conditioning, as he was absent for some of the voluntary offseason program.
Count Pro Football Focus among those who believe Johnson has the potential to develop into one of the league’s top cornerbacks. PFF ranked Johnson among the NFL’s up-and-comer tier at 28th.
Mild panic set in once the media saw Johnson running with the second-team unit during OTAs, but head coach Matt Eberflus said it was nothing to look too much into. Johnson has already shown enough for his ceiling to be a true CB1. Despite snagging just one interception since entering the league in 2020, the 6-foot, 195-pound cornerback ranks eighth in forced incompletion rate (15.3%) since then. If Johnson can reel in his occasional over-aggressiveness, he can significantly climb these rankings.
There’s little doubt that Johnson will be lining up as Chicago’s CB1 opposite rookie Kyler Gordon when the regular season begins, giving the Bears a potentially potent 1-2 punch on the outside.
While Gordon figures to be the target of opposing offenses, Johnson will get his share of looks against some of the NFL’s top talent, including Miami’s Tyreek Hill and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson during a somewhat favorable 2022 schedule.
