Bear Digest

Bears defense gets huge reinforcements as superstar returns

Getting a two-time Pro Bowler back in the seconary should give the Chicago Bears' defense a massive boost.
Pete Martuneac|
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Chicago Bears

While Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson's offense are earning the Chicago Bears plenty of praise, the defensive side of the ball is why some NFL sources are still skeptical of the Bears' playoff chances. This is a defense that has given up 26 points per game over the last four weeks and nearly choked away a thrilling 47-42 Week 9 win over the Bengals.

To be fair, a lot of Chicago's defensive ineptitude is due to injuries. In their Week 8 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, all three cornerbacks who were preseason starters were ruled out. However, reinforcements are on the way as Ben Johnson confirmed on Friday that the Bears have designated star cornerback Jaylon Johnson to return from IR.

With his 21-day window now officially open, Jaylon Johnson has three weeks to get back on the field for a game or he'll have to return to IR for the rest of the season, though it won't likely come to that. I wouldn't expect him to play on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, which would make Chicago's Week 12 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers his next opportunity to play.

Barring that, the latest Johnson could possibly return at this point is Week 13, where the Bears have a prime opportunity on Black Friday against the defending Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles. Against an offense that features such receiving talent as AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, the Bears are going to need the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback then more than ever.

Jaylon Johnson won't solve all of Bears' defensive woes

While his impact on this defense can't be understated, there remain more problems than Johnson alone can fix. The pass rush continues to be a lackluster unit. Johnson blanketing his man while help a bit in this regard, but not so much against mobile quarterbacks who can extend plays outside the pocket.

The rest of the unit needs to continue working on getting better, and the backups must step up to a higher level while the starters are out. At 6-3, Chicago is primed for a playoff run and they can't afford to squander a single game.

Jaylon Johnso
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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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