The Chicago Bears cornerback room has looked poor since Jaylon Johnson left the lineup. Beyond the struggles of Kyler Gordon is now a rookie UDFA getting thrown into the mix in Jaylon Jones. Jones has struggled, which should not be a surprise.
Still, when the team faced off with Justin Jefferson, the issue was highlighted rather brightly. Fortunately for the team, all signs are pointing to Jaylon Johnson playing on Thursday Night Football.
Chicago Bears expected to see Jaylon Johnson return Thursday
Johnson started to get limited work in practice last week, and he even tested things out before the game with the thought of playing. However, the Chicago Bears have been slow in bringing players back from injury this season, and that may be how the new regime works.
They also probably saw the Thursday night game and thought that if Johnson plays Sunday it will not be enough recovery time for him, and he may be susceptible to a setback.
Playing Thursday, and then not again until the following Monday is a perfect time to bring back Johnson, then have him rest and be ready to go again the following week.
Beyond that, Johnson was a full go in practice on Monday, although it was simulated. Still, it shows that the Chicago Bears anticipate him to be fine, and he may be off of the injury report altogether by the end of the practice week.
This comes at good time for the Chicago Bears. While Jahan Dotson has been banged up, the team would certainly not want to see Terry McLaurin against Jaylon Jones.
McLaurin lines up in the side that would have him facing off with Johnson on about 57% of his routes. So, the Chicago Bears would have to decide whether to repeat their plan last week, which involved moving Kindle Vildor around to both sides, or it would involve a rookie UDFA against McLaurin.
Both of those options do not sound great, so getting Johnson back would be huge.