Chicago Bears: 3 Young players who look like emerging ballers
By Joseph Herff
Jaylon Johnson, Cornerback
During the offseason, it seemed rookie Jaylon Johnson wouldn’t even start for this Bears team. Boy, did that change quickly. Artie Burns and Tre Roberson both suffered season-ending injuries and the Bears cut ties with Kevin Tolliver. This left Johnson to be the starting cornerback alongside Kyle Fuller.
The rookie second-rounder has been spectacular so far, to say the least. He had a rough welcome to the NFL getting trucked by Marvin Jones, but besides that, he has been a lockdown corner as a rookie, which is hard to find.
In these first three games, against two high-end quarterbacks, Johnson has only allowed a 45.5 completion percentage and a 67.4 passer rating when targeted. He has not allowed a touchdown and has 4 pass breakups. He additionally leads all qualifying NFL cornerbacks in yards per coverage snap when lined up in the press with 0.19 yards. He has been a shutdown corner to this point of the season.
Johnson has looked like a veteran in one of the toughest positions in football. He and Kyle Fuller have proven to be one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL already and Johnson is only a rookie. He has stepped up immensely for this team and replaced Prince Amukamara greatly.