Most Bears fans were probably thrilled to see Jaylon Johnson sign a 4-year deal in 2024 as he was coming off his two best seasons in the league included a second team All-Pro nod in 2023. Unfortunately, things have quickly taken a turn for the worse since then.
Johnson dealt with injuries early in the season last year and clearly was not the same player once he returned. He played in just seven games in 2025 and only registered two passes defended and one interception. The Bears’ defense was one of the worst in the league in 2025, but there was hope that the unit could be at least average going into this season. It has only been two games, but they look like they may have taken a step back and Johnson should get a good portion of the blame.
Jaylon Johnson looks like a shell of himself through two games
It is still very early, obviously, but Johnson looks like he is playing cornerback in quicksand so far. He looked terrible against the Panthers in the opening game and was abused by Justin Jefferson (to be fair, most cornerbacks are) in the loss this past Sunday.
On the season, Johnson has given up 8 completions in coverage, allowing a passer rating of 114.8 when targeted. He has zero pass breakups and zero interceptions. Again, it is very early but this is not an ideal start for a top-15 paid cornerback in the league.
We knew the Bears defense was going to struggle this season, but their defensive backfield was supposed to be the strength and it has looked anything but thus far. The loss of Coby Bryant and continued mystery surrounding Kyler Gordon do not help, but Johnson is fully healthy and supposed to be the one dependable player on that side of the ball.
There has been plenty of slander towards PFF in recent weeks, and for the most part for good reason. However, they can still be a reliable tool when judging certain positions and Johnson currently ranks 82nd out of 94 cornerbacks in the league with just a 44.2 rating.
The lack of a consistent pass rush will always hinder the success of defensive backs, but it is hard to put the blame fully on the guys up front when Johnson is consistently 3 steps behind receivers. Hopefully it is just early in the season, and he is working back into game shape as Ben Johnson repeatedly praised the camp he had. If Johnson continues to play this poorly it will be an even longer season for this defense than we originally expected.
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