Bear Digest

Bears search for ways to compensate for losing Jaylon Johnson

There is one sure way to keep from struggling after the Bears' loss of their best defensive player but so far they look ill-equipped to handle this.
Gene Chamberlain|
Jaylon Johnson's tackle is too late to prevent a touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta last season.
Jaylon Johnson's tackle is too late to prevent a touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta last season. | David Reginek-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The injury suffered by Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson on Sunday is a new one and not related to the groin injury that kept him out of training camp and Week 1 of the regular season, according to coach Ben Johnson.

It doesn't make the situation any better for the Bears, who may have lost their two-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the season according to a report by Fox's Jordan Schultz. Johnson, himself, would not verify this situation on Monday, only would comment on what a valuable player was lost in the game. However, Johnson later said on his regular radio WSCR radio appearance on Holmes & Spiegel that he likely is done for the year.

Jared Goff didn't have an incompletion after Johnson went out.

"I think what he showed yesterday in the limited reps that he did get was the ability to close on the football," Ben Johnson said. "I knew that he had the pass breakup, which was a big play for us that was going to be another explosive gain. So he was able to get his hand on the ball. But I do see sticky coverage, I see recoverability. He certainly can anticipate and he knows what's coming the majority of the time.

"He does a great job with the film study. He's  a good player and he's a Pro Bowl player for a reason."

Johnson's absence for any amount of time throws into question whether a  perceived team strength is now going to become a weakness.

It seemed remarkable Johnson had recovered enough from the first injury to play. He told the Pivot Podcast last week that his pre-training camp injury was severe. He had the adductor muscle torn off the pelvic bone. Remarkably, he recovered in time for Week 2.

The Bears' only real option to replace him now is Nahshon Wright. They could have put Kyler Gordon at his spot in the secondary if healthy but Gordon missed the game with a hamstring injury and Johnson on Monday labeled him week to week. He said the same for linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring). That's three key starters missing.

Jared Goff completed 15 of 15 for 243 yards after Johnson left the game. All five of Goff's incompletions were thrown when Johnson was in the game.

Pro Football Focus gave Johnson the highest coverage grade of any Bears player on Sunday, a 71.9 score for the 12 pass plays when he participated. Wright had a 35.8 PFF scored, third worst coverage grade for the team. Safety Kevin Byard had the worst grade (26.5) and slot cornerback reserve Nick McCloud, playing for injured Kyler Gordon had the second-worst mark (35.4).

Normally the Bears would fall back on Terell Smith in the past. The fifth-round  2023 pick has been a steady performer, but he is out for the year after suffering a knee injury. Another fifth-round pick, rookie Zah Frazier, is out for the year and did not attend training camp for "personal" reasons.

The Bears will simply need to play better with the cornerbacks they have as there is virtually no other option for them. Stephon Gilmore, James Bradberry and Kendall Fuller are among unrestricted free agents available.

One way the Bears can bolster what has been a struggling secondary is through a better pass rush. It was non-existent after the first quarter on Sunday. 

Montez Sweat has no sacks this season and only one in his last seven games.

"Really, Step 1 for us going into this game was trying to affect the quarterback," Johnson said. "We came up short in that regard. We know with that particular player (Goff), when his pocket is clean that he plays at a really high level. He's a very accurate player. We're going to have to try to find a way, whether it's in the four that we're rushing, to generate more pressure, condense the pocket and collapse it from the inside or whether that means we need to pressure (blitz) a little bit more, we'll find a way."

As for Sweat, Johnson doesn't want to dump the blame his way entirely.

"I think it's not just Montez, it's our entire unit right now," Johnson said. "We didn't affect the quarterback as a whole and so we'll certainly look at where we can help him so that he can succeed a little bit more in terms of getting that done.

"I think Dayo, on the other side when he gets the one-on-ones, he needs to get a little bit more production there and then I'd like to see from our defensive tackles a little bit more push to the interior of the pocket so that we can put the linemen on the lap of the quarterback. It really takes everybody. When we pressure, we've got to make them feel that, as well. It's a combination of all of it."

Johnson says he knows the defense can play better,  even if he has coached only two games. He based that on three strong quarters with six points allowed in the opener against Minnesota before the total cave-in.

"And so I know we have it in us," Johnson said. "I saw it during training camp, as well."

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.