Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Ends season on injured reserve
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Johnson ended the season with 35 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery over 11 games.
Johnson (finger/ribs) was placed on injured reserve after Week 15 and played 11 games. He failed to intercept a pass, and he has just one pick during his three years in the league. As a tackler, he averaged three per game, though his game-to-game production was inconsistent. Unless his situation changes next year, he'll be a moderate-floor, low-upside IDP option. He's under contract with the team through the 2023 season.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Downgraded to questionable
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Johnson (finger/ribs) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Bills.
Johnson was forced out with a pair of rib and finger injuries during Chicago's loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. While he initially seemed to be in the clear after logging full sessions both Tuesday and Wednesday, the cornerback then took a step back as a limited participant in practice Thursday. It appears the finger issue could be Johnson's biggest obstacle to playing Saturday, as Bears coach Matt Eberflus said that the 23-year-old has had one of his ring fingers in a brace and that he's unsure if it's a broken bone, according to Adam Hoge of AllCHGO.com. Should Johnson sit out, Jaylon Jones and Josh Blackwell would likely see increased playing time after Kindle Vildor (ankle) was already ruled out Thursday as well.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Listed as full participant
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Johnson (finger/ribs) was listed as a full participant on Tuesday's practice estimate.
Johnson departed Sunday's loss to Philadelphia with apparent rib and finger injuries, but he's since been noted as a full participant during Tuesday's walk-through session, implying that the issues aren't putting the 23-year-old's Week 16 availability in jeopardy. The Bears are set to host the Bills on Saturday, where Johnson is in line to operate as Chicago's No. 1 cornerback opposite Kyler Gordon.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Dealing with injury to ribs
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Johnson exited Sunday's loss versus Philadelphia with a rib injury, Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The precise severity of the injury is still unknown. Should the 2020 second-rounder Johnson miss any game action, Jaylon Jones would probably be in line for an expanded role in Chicago's secondary.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Active Sunday
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Johnson is active for Sunday's matchup against Detroit.
Johnson drew a questionable designation after logging limited practices Thursday and Friday due to an oblique injury, but he'll be available Sunday. Across six appearances, the third-year cornerback has totaled 14 tackles (11 solo) and three pass defenses while playing nearly every defensive snap.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Questionable for Week 10
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Johnson (oblique) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus Detroit.
Johnson was only able to log limited practices Thursday and Friday, meaning he'll head into Sunday's game versus the Lions with a questionable tag. The 2020 second-rounder was able to play all 53 of Chicago's defensive snaps in Week 9, but if he does sit out in Week 10, Jaylon Jones would be in line for increased reps on the boundaries.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Ready to return
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Johnson (quadriceps) was a full participant in the Bears' estimated practice report Monday, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.
Johnson hasn't been healthy enough to play since Week 2 against the Packers. Assuming he is a full-go Thursday against the Commanders, his return should be a boost to the Bears' secondary.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Inactive Sunday
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Johnson (quadriceps) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Vikings.
As expected, Johnson will remain sidelined for a third straight game after picking up a quadriceps injury during Week 3 prep. The third-year cornerback returned to practice Friday as a limited participant for the first time since suffering the injury, which bodes well for his availability for the Bears' Week 6 matchup against the Commanders on Thursday. In his absence, Jaylon Jones and Kindle Vildor have garnered increased roles.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Doesn't practice Wednesday
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Johnson (quadriceps) didn't practice Wednesday.
Johnson was ruled out for Week 3 after landing on the injury report last Thursday with a quadriceps issue. The severity of the issue remains unclear, but it's concerning to see him still sidelined Wednesday. If he's ultimately ruled out for a second straight game, Kindle Vildor should continue seeing an increased workload in Johnson's absence.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: To sit against Houston
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Johnson (quad) is inactive Week 3 against the Texans.
Johnson has seen plenty of work in the Chicago secondary over the first two weeks, but he picked up a quad injury Thursday that will ultimately force him out. Kindle Vildor should continue to see a high snap count in his stead, while fourth-year corner Lamar Jackson could also be called upon for a larger role.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Questionable for Sunday
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Johnson (quadriceps) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Texans.
Johnson popped up on the injury report Thursday as a limited participant and didn't practice Friday, but he still has a chance to suit up Sunday. The third-year cornerback has played all but one of the Bears' defensive snaps over the first two games of the season, so his potential absence would be a huge blow to Chicago's defense.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Picks up injury
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Johnson (quadriceps) was listed as a limited participant on the Bears' injury report Thursday.
Johnson popped up on Chicago's practice report for the first time Thursday, though the nature and severity of this issue are still unclear. The starting cornerback has played all but one of the Bears' defensive snaps over the first two weeks of the season, so it will be worth monitoring his status heading into Sunday's game against the Texans.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Ready to resume outside role
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Johnson is one of six cornerbacks the Bears will go into the regular-season with, according to the team's official site.
After playing across from largely ineffective corrnerbacks during his first two years with the Bears, Johnson will hope to get some support from rookie teammate Kyler Gordon. Opposing offenses didn't target Johnson too often the past two years, resulting in him averaging 45 tackles. However, his tackle total may increase if opponents don't feel there are weak corners on the Bears to attack, which could balance out the number of passes he defends. This potentially gives him added upside in IDP leagues.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Preparing for new defensive system
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Johnson expects to maintain his execution and approach despite the Bears being expected to play much more zone defense under coach Matt Eberflus, the Bears official site reports.
After playing as part of a secondary that struggled in each of Johnson's first two years with Chicago, the team added rookies Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon, which could raise the level of play across the defense. After averaging four tackles as a rookie, Johnson averaged just three tackles last year. If his rookie teammates play well immediately, Johnson could see a spike in IDP production in the new defensive scheme that often allows the defensive backs to play aggressively when all of the players can master their responsibilities.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Meager output in season finale
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Johnson tallied two stops in the Bears' 31-17 Week 18 loss to the Vikings, and he ended the season with 46 tackles, an interception and nine passes defensed.
Johnson made a slight increase on his tackle total from his rookie season, though he has just one interception over his first two years in the league. But as a full-time starter, he should continue to post solid tackle totals with the hope that the interception numbers will go up. He'll go into the third year of his four-year rookie deal in 2022, likely as the No. 1 corner for the Bears.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Returns from COVID-19 list
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Johnson was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports.
Johnson was one of five Chicago players who were removed from the league's health and safety protocols Monday. The 22-year-old quarterback is expected to assume his usual starting spot on the outside when the Bears face the Giants in Week 17.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: No surgery needed
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Johnson's shoulder injury didn't require surgery during the offseason.
Johnson , who missed the final four games of the 2020 campaign due to his shoulder issue, posted 44 tackles (34 solo) and 15 pass breakups during his 13 regular-season games in a starting role. Now that the 21-year-old has moved past his injury, he should return to his usual cornerback role in the Bears' secondary.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Limited in Wednesday's session
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Johnson (shoulder) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice estimate, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.
Johnson missed the last three games of the regular season but was labeled as day-to-day by coach Matt Nagy on Monday. If the starting cornerback doesn't suffer a setback in practice this week, he should be able to suit up in the wild-card round against the Saints on Sunday.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Strong rookie season
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Johnson missed the last three games of the regular season with a shoulder injury, and the rookie ended the season with 44 tackles.
Johnson was everything the Bears were hoping he'd be when selecting him in the 2020 draft, and, as he goes into the second year of a four-year deal, it's very likely he could be an emerging star who'll be a coveted IDP option.
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Bears' Jaylon Johnson: Ruled out Week 15
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Johnson (shoulder) won't play in Sunday's divisional matchup against the Vikings, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Johnson suffered the injury in last week's win over Houston, and this news isn't surprising, considering he failed to practice at all this week. The absence of the rookie out of Utah will hurt the Bears' secondary, as he's racked up 44 tackles (34 solo) and 15 pass breakups across 13 games this season in a starting role. Kindle Vildor, Xavier Crawford and Duke Shelley are the candidates to start and see increased roles now that Johnson has been ruled out.
