This Steelers WR should get locked down by Chicago Bears Jaylon Johnson
When the Chicago Bears take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, they will choose what they plan to do with Jaylon Johnson. Johnson spends 84% of his snaps on the right side, but the team follows certain receivers if the matchup calls for it. Diontae Johnson lines up on his side 52% of the time while Chase Claypool is on that side 37%, so if he stayed there, he would see a healthy dose of both.
However, the Bears may be best off giving Johnson to Claypool and having him shut down the big wide receiver.
To start, the Steelers have two completely separate wide receivers. Johnson is small, shifty, and quick. He wins off the line with his quick feet and creates separation over the middle. On the other end, Claypool is a big and imposing wideout. He is not finesse and does not win with routes, but he is a big dude who can go up and get it.
When we have broken down Johnson in the past, it is clear that WRs such as Claypool are better matchups. Johnson struggles when he has to break over the middle and is much better using his size, physicality, and the sideline to bully wideouts down the field.
You can see below that Claypool’s route chart is the exact type of wideout that Johnson has his most success against.
Beyond that, while Claypool is a big and imposing wideout, he is not suited to line up against bigger corners such as Johnson.
Claypool uses his physical attributes to his advantage, but not in contested catch situations. In fact, he is 1-6 hauling in contested balls. The second-year wideout does not do a great job of handling bumps and arms near him when he is hauling in passes.
Once again, this makes him the perfect matchup for Johnson. Jaylon Johnson could lose to Diontae Johnson off the line with a quick step and never find the speed to catch up. On the other end, Jaylon Johnson can punch Claypool at the line, shove him to the sidelines, and then box him out in the air, where he is better than Claypool.
This mismatch could cause an upset. dark. Next
One matchup is tough for Johnson; the other is the exact profile of a player that he can shut down; the Bears should put Claypool on an island and then make sure that Johnson does not kill them with extra coverage.