The Bears need to be careful about rushing Jaylon Johnson back

The Bears opened Jaylon Johnson's 21-day practice window today. They need to be careful about the health of their star cover man, though.

Sep 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (1) after the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Reinforcements are on the way for Chicago's secondary.

Earlier this week, Jaylon Johnson teased the possibility of a return to the lineup soon on his Instagram. It's now clear why he did so, as the Bears opened up his 21-day practice window today. That means, barring a setback in practice, he will return to the lineup for the Week 14 game against Green Bay at the latest.

Big news for Chicago: The #Bears are designating star CB Jaylon Johnson to return from IR. He will start practicing today. pic.twitter.com/FQWXLyZFJK

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 14, 2025

Johnson entered training camp on the Non-Football Injury list with a groin injury. That injury also cost him the Week One game against Minnesota. However, he later returned to the lineup for the Week Two clash against the Lions.

Johnson reinjured the injury in the Week Two blowout loss against Detroit. He underwent core muscle surgery shortly after the game and has been sidelined ever since. It was initially feared that he would miss the remainder of the year, but follow-up reports mentioned that he would have a chance to return if the Bears were in contention for a playoff spot.

The haters laughed at the notion that Chicago would be in contention at this point in the year. The haters are awfully quiet now that the Bears are 6-1 since losing Johnson.

Still, it's safe to say that Chicago definitely would've done things differently in hindsight. You could argue that they brought him back too soon from the injury. Who knows if they could have had him for much of the year if they had waited another week or two? With the playoffs in reach, it's imperative that he's healthy enough to be out there.

Somehow, the 2024 Pro Bowl selection is listed as questionable to play against the Vikings this week. Many words I could use to describe this. Incredible. Exciting. Promising... Terrifying. I really hope they're just playing the "This'll keep 'em on their toes" game there, to be honest.

#Bears Friday Injury Report pic.twitter.com/b65q9a8KuH

— Bears Communications (@BearsPR) November 14, 2025

After this week, the Bears have road matchups with teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended today, the Steelers and Eagles. Johnson is a competitor. He is probably going to want to push a return for one (or both) of those games. He might've done the same in Week Two. They need to protect him from himself, though.

I'm as thrilled as the next guy with the latest development on the Jaylon Johnson front. With that said, they have him locked in to make $25 million in each of the next two seasons. The Bears need to keep their eye on the bigger picture. There's no need to rush him back before the Green Bay game if he's not going to be (at least close to) 100%.

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