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Bears Star Gets Disrespected in Preseason Ranking After Pro Bowl Season

Despite a breakout season in 2023, Jaylon Johnson has been disrespected by CBS Sports in their preseason cornerback rankings.

By Joseph Grassano

Dec 18, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (33) celebrates a pass breakup in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (33) celebrates a pass breakup in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports / Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
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Entering the season, the Chicago Bears' secondary is arguably the best position group on the team. During the second half of the 2023 season, the secondary, bolstered by the addition of Montez Sweat on the defensive line, gathered 18 interceptions. This impressive performance helped the team finish the year tied for first with the San Francisco 49ers in total interceptions, with 22.

Veteran corner Jaylon Johnson helped lead the secondary's dominance during the second half of the 2023 season with four interceptions. Along with setting a career-high in interceptions, Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson as their No.1 cover corner in 2023. Johnson's stellar performance last season earned him a four-year, $76 million contract extension over the offseason.

Although Johnson earned recognition for his performance last season, he seems to be already getting slightly discounted entering this season. Jared Dubin of CBS Sports recently released his top 20 cornerback rankings heading into the 2024 season, and Johnson was ranked sixth.

Bears News: Jaylon Johnson Ranked 6th in CBS Preseason CB Rankings

On the surface, Johnson being ranked as the sixth-best cornerback in the NFL doesn't seem like an issue. Especially since it still places Johnson as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. However, a few of the players that Dubin ranked above Johnson are coming off worse seasons, but they have more name value than Johnson.

For instance, Dubin ranked Jalen Ramsey as the third-best cornerback in the NFL. Despite being one of the NFL's best cornerbacks since entering the league in 2016, Ramsey had his worst season last year, finishing with an overall grade of 66.4 from PFF. Although many factors contributed to Ramsey's dip in play, including injuries, he still didn't perform to his standards. However, Dubin believes that Ramsey will bounce back this season,

"Ramsey wasn't used the right way last season. Let's start there. Playing almost exclusively at left corner is not the best way to utilize his vast skill set. We've seen in the past that moving around, playing in the slot, shadowing No. 1s, and just generally being in position to blow things up is the way to go. And that will likely be the case under new coordinator Anthony Weaver, who comes to Miami by way of Baltimore. We should see Ramsey at the peak of his powers in 2024."

- Jared Dubin- CBS Sports

While Dubin makes a compelling case for Ramsey to bounce back in 2024, placing him above Johnson seems excessive. Even though new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is likely to use Ramsey in ways that maximize his skill set, Ramsey is entering his age 29 season, meaning regression is on the horizon. On the other hand, Johnson should continue to get better, which is why he deserves to be ranked higher than Ramsey.

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