Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson received the big new deal he was after this offseason. He is not satisfied, however. He is tired of the word “potential” and wants the defense to finally become great.
The Chicago Bears had an incredible offseason. General Manager Ryan Poles completely overhauled the offense. He added players like six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen, tight end Gerald Everett, and running back D’Andre Swift. He also drafted Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Caleb Williams, and All-American wide receiver Rome Odunze.
While everyone raves about the moves Poles made on offense, he made a significant move on defense as well. His biggest move might have been re-signing cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Johnson is one of the most talented cornerbacks in the NFL. He set out to have a big season to prove that and he did it.
Johnson had a career-high four interceptions (one of them returned for a pick-six) in 2023. He also was one of the best cornerbacks in coverage. Opposing quarterbacks had a hard time when targeting Johnson. They only completed 55 percent of their passes and averaged a paltry 4,8 yards per target. They had a passer rating of just 50.9 against him.
Signing Johnson was the biggest thing Poles did to keep the defense together. Johnson became the leader of the defense. Losing him would have created some chaos in the secondary.
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It looked as if a deal would not happen at one point. Johnson, frustrated with how negotiations were moving, requested a deal before the trade deadline. Poles granted it. If there was a good deal to be done, Poles was prepared to ship Johnson. Thankfully, nothing came about it and now Johnson is back in the fold.
Now Johnson is ready to go to new heights. He wants to show that he deserved that monster new deal (4-year, $76 million, $43.8 guaranteed). Additionally, he wants his defensive teammates to bask in some good fortune. He wants to show that he is a member of one of the best defenses in the league.
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Johnson hears all the talk about how the Chicago Bears defense has the potential to be a great unit. While everyone talks about how the defense looked so different after defensive end Montez Sweat arrived, the defense was playing well weeks before the trade deadline deal was finalized.
After a horrible first four weeks in which the defense allowed 34.2 points per game, the Chicago Bears allowed just 18.6 points per game in the next 13 games. That helped the team win five of their last eight games and enter the offseason with some hope. Then Poles went and overhauled the offense and that hope shot through the roof.
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Johnson is tired of the talk. He wants action. He feels it is time for some action. The Chicago Bears’ defense must show the league how good it can be. The players know they have an elite defense. It is time for the rest of the league to realize it as well.
I’m tired of just having upside and having potential. I want to be in a position where we actually go out there, and we are that — not just what we’re projected to be. It’s about action at this point. So the projections, the energy, the enthusiasm all feel good in the beginning because everybody, every team, every fan says, ‘Oh, this is our year!’ We gotta go out here and we gotta prove it.
The Chicago Bears have become the darlings of the league. They will be featured on the training camp version of Hard Knocks. With all of the improvements, many experts expect them to be playoff contenders. In Year 3 of Poles’ rebuild, it appears that the team can be very competitive and wins and losses will be important again.
Jaylon Johnson knows that the defense can return to its dominant Monster of the Midway days. Now he wants the NFL world to know they are back.
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