The Bears parted ways with Kyle Fuller this offseason, which leaves 2020 second-round pick Jaylon Johnson in line for the top cornerback job in Chicago.
Johnson’s rookie season ended with a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the team’s final four games, but he said it is no longer a concern with training camp set to start next month.
“I’m 100 percent healthy,” Johnson said, via the team’s website. “There was no structural damage. There wasn’t anything major like that. I’m not going to go into the exact details of what exactly happened, but it was just about being able to get to 100 percent. I’ve been rehabbing, staying on top of my treatment and therapy on my shoulder. I’m just getting back healthy and trying to stay healthy.”
Johnson had 44 tackles and 15 passes defensed in his 13 starts as a rookie. He said the game “naturally slows down” the more time that he’s on the field and he thinks that will help him reach the expectations the Bears have for him in 2021.
“My mind is more at ease, being able to see things, being able to have better eyes and just a better understanding of what the offense is trying to do and just how the defense works as well,” Johnson said. “It’s just easier mentally, which allows my body to be able to play a little faster.”
The Bears brought in Desmond Trufant, but the best-case scenario for their secondary is that the veteran plays a supporting role while Johnson steps into the featured role at cornerback in Chicago.