Bear Digest

Chance still exists for return later as Jaylon Johnson goes on IR

Jaylon Johnson and Kiran Amegadjie went on injured reserve but there's a chance the Bears' All-Pro cornerback can return later in the season.
Gene Chamberlain|
Jaylon Johnson intercepts a pass intended for Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta in 2023.
Jaylon Johnson intercepts a pass intended for Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta in 2023. | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

It could be much worse.

The Bears are putting cornerback Jaylon Johnson on injured reserve, but it means he's eligible to return from a groin injury after four games.

He was reported by Ian Rapoport to be out "indefinitely."

Backup offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie also was placed on IR with an elbow injury.

It doesn't mean it will happen, but it leaves open the possibility Johnson's injury will heal enough for him to play later this year. It lets them buy time. It still leaves plenty of time for recovery toward next year, as well, if it turns out he needs to have season-ending surgery.

Unless it's explained otherwise by the Bears or Johnson, he would be eligible to return for the Oct. 26 game with Baltimore, and they have an extra week included in that period away due to the bye week in early October.

Johnson went out in the middle of the second quarter Sunday with a groin injury the Bears and he both have said was not an aggravation of his groin injury suffered prior to training camp, but a new one.

Immediate surgery would have ended Johnson's season.

"I would definitely say trying to figure out what's the best move long-term," Johnson said on WSCR during his weekly radio spot.

Without Johnson, the Bears most likely would be looking to add a cornerback to the roster in the near future. The promoted veteran practice squad player Dallis Flowers via standard elevation for Sunday's game. They also promoted linebacker Carl Jones Jr. via standard elevation.

Nahshon Wright would take Johnson's starting spot, although after Kyler Gordon recovers from a hamstring injury there could be other alterations. That would include Gordon starting outside and then moving to nickel in defensive deployments using five or six defensive backs.

Either way, a secondary torched last week in a 52-21 loss will be strained again this week to cover against Dallas with quarterback Dak Prescott and receivers CeeDee Lamba and George Pickens.

As a team, the Bears rank last in the NFL in passer rating against at 136.9.

Taking Johnson's roster spot is defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon. The former Saints edge player had been on the practice squad and was elevated in both of the previous games. He has one of the team's three sacks.

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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.