Green Bay, WI–Â When the Chicago Bears drafted cornerback Jaylon Johnson in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the franchise added a player that was ready and willing to step up whenever needed. In just his second season, Johnson has been a bright spot on the Bears defense, giving the secondary a lifeline option at CB position.
Johnson has had his fair share of bright moments in 2021. He’s quietly ascended into becoming one of the NFL’s most underrated CBs and week 14 against Green Bay Packers WR Devante Adams was another example of why Johnson had a major breakout game in week 14. Per Next Gen Stats, Johnson allowed just 1.9 yards of separation, 19 total yards against Adams, and one touchdown.
“A lot of motions, a lot of drag routes, underneath routes, a lot of pick routes, I mean they switch it up pretty good, so I mean, I did a lot of things to make covering him very hard,” said Johnson via the Bears official YouTube Channel. “We shouldn’t even have given him that last touchdown at the end, just some technique issues that we just got to fix all together as a secondary,” Johnson said. “We did a heck of a job in the first half, I mean anything else that they got, I thought we shot ourselves in the food and then there was a few plays where they made some plays.”
Johnson being able to shut down Adams so effectively shouldn’t be overlooked. During a season where the Bears’ secondary is amongst the worst in the NFL, Johnson has been consistent all season and as the Bears begin to rebuild a defense on the decline, Johnson has earned a right to be part of the Bears’ future. When Chicago begins searching for cornerbacks during the 2022 offseason, Johnson will have a new sidekick as he continues to the face at CB for the Bears.