Bear Digest

Groin injury has Jaylon Johnson entirely uncertain about playing

The Bears Pro Bowl cornerback says he couldn't play if the Bears faced the Vikings Tuesday, so his availability for Monday night looks cloudy at best.
Gene Chamberlain|
Jaylon Johnson on chances he'll face Vikings
Jaylon Johnson on chances he'll face Vikings

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Chicago Bears

The prospects for Pro Bowl Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson returning to the lineup to face the Minnesota Viking look bleak at the moment.

Much can ch

"I mean, I like to say I can go out there and play," Johnson said Tuesday in the locker room. "But I mean, it's definitely hard, too. I feel like if we had a game today, it wouldn't be a thing.

"But I think, really, this week will be important for me to get the pads back on, get practices under my belt, game speed, moving around, covering guys, communicating. I think that all will help me. But again, there's not too much you can replicate in the game."

The exact injury was to his groin and he missed all of training camp, but now must return with the assignment of facing Justin Jefferson and the Vikings' high-powered attack.

It's all dependent upon how he feels in practices throughout this week.

"I plan to get cleared today, and then I can start practicing and things like that," Johnson said. "So really just depends on where my body's at. Because again, I've been out for six weeks. So, hopefully my body responds fairly quickly and I can feel good.

"And with the staff, the training staff, will figure out what's the best plan."

Even if Johnson is deemed ready, he can't be sure he'll be able to shadow Jefferson right off the bat the way he has done in the past.

"For this game, it's hard to say," Johnson said. "I feel like it would be a situation where we had to figure out what that game plan looks like.

"But, I mean, as far as what I've been doing, I know I've been putting a lot of work outside the facility as well, so I'm confident in that. But again, that would be something I'll feel more so in the game, in that situation."

The injury itself was somewhat freakish and definitely painful, he said.

There had been plenty of speculation Johnson was not injured at all and that he was upset because after he signed his contract extension the pay for cornerbacks across the league skyrocketed.

Johnson made a few joking remarks in that regard before his injury, whichdidn't help. However, he made it clear his contract had nothing to do with missing training camp.

"You know me better than that," he said. "I never held out. I haven't ever done any of that.

"So I mean, for me, again, for the media, it's a good play as far as the contract and the timing and things, but I'm not that type of cat."

Now they'll just hope he's the type of cat who can play and cover Jefferson on Monday night.

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The prospects for Pro Bowl Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson returning to the lineup to face the Minnesota Viking look bleak at the moment.

Much can change by Monday, though.

"I mean, I like to say I can go out there and play," Johnson said Tuesday in the locker room. "But I mean, it's definitely hard, too. I feel like if we had a game today, it wouldn't be a thing.

"But I think, really, this week will be important for me to get the pads back on, get practices under my belt, game speed, moving around, covering guys, communicating. I think that all will help me. But again, there's not too much you can replicate in the game."

The exact injury was to his groin and he missed all of training camp, but now must return with the assignment of facing Justin Jefferson and the Vikings' high-powered attack.

It's all dependent upon how he feels in practices throughout this week.

"I plan to get cleared today, and then I can start practicing and things like that," Johnson said. "So really just depends on where my body's at. Because again, I've been out for six weeks. So, hopefully my body responds fairly quickly and I can feel good.

"And with the staff, the training staff, will figure out what's the best plan."

Even if Johnson is deemed ready, he can't be sure he'll be able to shadow Jefferson right off the bat the way he has done in the past.

"For this game, it's hard to say," Johnson said. "I feel like it would be a situation where we had to figure out what that game plan looks like.

"But, I mean, as far as what I've been doing, I know I've been putting a lot of work outside the facility as well, so I'm confident in that. But again, that would be something I'll feel more so in the game, in that situation."

The injury itself was somewhat freakish and definitely painful, he said.

There had been plenty of speculation Johnson was not injured at all and that he was upset because after he signed his contract extension the pay for cornerbacks across the league skyrocketed.

Johnson made a few joking remarks in that regard before his injury, whichdidn't help. However, he made it clear his contract had nothing to do with missing training camp.

"You know me better than that," he said. "I never held out. I haven't ever done any of that.

"So I mean, for me, again, for the media, it's a good play as far as the contract and the timing and things, but I'm not that type of cat."

Now they'll just hope he's the type of cat who can play and cover Jefferson on Monday night.

More Chicago Bears News

X: BearsOnSI

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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.