Chicago Bears corner back receives abysmal Madden 23 rating

Once Jaylon Johnson and the Chicago Bears lost Kyle Fuller prior to the 2021 season, the corner back room became his to lead. Going into his sophomore season, there was a lot of pressure on Jaylon Johnson to pick up the slack of a battered defensive backfield.

Even with Eddie Jackson at safety, the defensive backfield left much to be desired for any and all invested parties of the Chicago Bears.

Sean Desai was dealt a poor hand with who he had to work with in the secondary, but even with the glaring holes, Jaylon Johnson held his own.

He might not be a top-five cornerback, but he’s certainly not a bottom-of-the-barrel starter in the NFL.

In Madden 23, Jaylon Johnson received an overall of 82. That ranked him 29th among all corners in the NFL video game, and while it’s just a video game, the disrespect is real from EA.

Jaylon Johnson deserves a higher Madden 23 rating after carrying the Chicago Bears’ secondary

Jaylon Johnson shared secondary duties with Kindle Vildor and Artie Burns, so there wasn’t a major likelihood that the corners outside Johnson would be too helpful in stopping opposing quarterbacks.

That said, Jaylon Johnson improved from his rookie season. The company Jaylon Johnson shares in terms of who ranks the same as him is alarming to say the least.

For context, Jaylon Johnson received an overall PFF Grade of 64.2 in 2021. He had 42 solo tackles (T-60th), one INT (T-46th), 72 targets (T-34th), and 41 receptions allowed (T-48th). So, while he surely wasn’t playing at a Jalen Ramsey level, Johnson held his own considering what he was handed.

Corner backs ranked the same as Jaylon Johnson in Madden 23

• Bryce Callahan (LAC)
  60.0 overall PFF grade, 27 solo tackles (T-102nd), 0 INTs, 37 targets (T-105th), and 24 receptions allowed
• Darious Williams (JAX)
  65.3 overall PFF grade, 67 solo tackles (6th), 0 INTs, 81 targets (T-20th), and 53 receptions allowed (T-19th)
• Byron Murphy Jr. (ARI)
  59.7 overall PFF grade, 52 solo tackles (25th), 4 INTs (T-6th), 80 targets (T-23rd), and 53 receptions allowed (T-19th)
• Taron Johnson (BUF)
  69.6 overall PFF grade, 54 solo tackles (T-19th), 1 INT (T-46th), 67 targets (T-44th), and 36 receptions allowed (T-68th)

Now, obviously PFF grades aren’t everything; and in fact, I’ve often been skeptical of the validity of PFF grades. That said, with corner backs and defensive secondary players, stats aren’t really the only way to grade a player. If a corner locks up their receiver enough to cause the quarterback to go somewhere else with the play, the corner did their job. However, that’s not a stat, and it’s not as easily gradable.

Jaylon Johnson certainly benefitted from this year’s Chicago Bears draft class, as he’s now joined by Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker. Both of those additions should help the Chicago Bears as a whole, specifically Jaylon Johnson.

Bears fans won’t have to worry about that rating for long, as it’s likely Johnson’s overall will be nothing near what it is by mid-season.