The Chicago Bears have been extremely patient with Jaylon Johnson this season. He's certainly earned the benefit of the doubt, given his pedigree in the league and the fact that he was supposed to be the team's No. 1 cornerback.
Unfortunately, that confidence has yet to pay off this season. He has been pretty banged up for most of the campaign, playing in just 7 of the team's 17 games, and not looking like the shutdown specialist he once was. Now, with the team facing a win-or-go-home scenario with the playoffs about to start, they can't afford to keep giving him such a long leash.
The Bears Have a Real Problem With Jaylon Johnson
The Bears have spent the season ramping Johnson up, but they might be better off just keeping him off the field at this point. He might need a full offseason to return to full strength, as he has looked slow and out of rhythm when on the field.
Through seven games (one start), the two-time Pro Bowler has logged 17 total tackles (15 solo). He has two passes defensed and one interception. Per Football Reference's metrics, he's putting up career worsts in terms of reception percentage allowed (16 completions on 22 targets for a 72.7 percent), yards per completion (16.0), and yards per target (11.6). He's given up 256 receiving yards, 122 yards after the catch, and opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 92.2 when targeting him.
We're talking about someone who once led the league in passes defensed, interceptions, and pick-sixes. The potential is most definitely there, but he might not be fully healthy or may have fallen from grace after all the injuries.
The Bears are about to host the Green Bay Packers and their high-flying passing game. Johnson will probably be in charge of covering Christian Watson for most of the game, and he's coming off torching the Baltimore Ravens for five catches for 113 yards and one score in his last contest.
Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will have some tough decisions to make here. On the one hand, it always makes sense to roll with your best players when it matters the most. On the other hand, Johnson's best days might be a thing of the past, and the Bears might be better off rolling with someone else, even if Tyrique Stevenson also struggled earlier in the season.