Bears trust index entering Week 2: Jaylon Johnson slips, Malik Muhammad surges

The Chicago Bears' offense flexed their muscles in a big way with their 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1.

The Bears gained over 500 yards, and the fan base couldn't get over how good they were. The defense, meanwhile, has a lot of work to do after a disappointing performance.

One of the biggest questions from this game is who has earned the fan base's trust among the players and who still has a lot of work to do to earn it. We dive into the trust index of multiple players on the roster.

How the Bears' trust index works

This is a weekly exercise that is going to focus on players that played well and didn't in the previous game. It can change game by game depending on how the played.

A lot of it is based on performance and what coaches and players say. It could even be what is going on at practice, whether progress is shown, and whether it depends on what's happening.

Here's a look at the trust index after Week 1 play:

The alphas

Caleb Williams, QB

The man threw for 269 yards, completed over 72% of his passes, ran for another 65 yards, and scored four total touchdowns. Williams is clearly in the MVP conversation early in the season. While the season makes or breaks based on Williams' play, he did well enough that everyone 100% trusts him on the field.

D'Andre Swift, RB

Swift more than earned his new contract extension after 124 yards, three touchdowns, and averaging 6.9 yards per carry. He seems to be getting better with age and comfortability within Ben Johnson's offense. Keep giving this man the ball as much as he wants.

Montez Sweat, DE

Sweat is the only reliable defender on the Bears right now, producing multiple pressures and got one sack in the Panthers game. He is going to have another great season on defense, and he might have to be Superman to save this unit from being a complete disaster.

Darnell Wright, RT

Pro Football Focus' number one graded tackle in the NFL at 84 just continues to prove why he got paid by the Bears. He only allowed two pressures, but he bullied the Panthers' defensive line from the right side. Wright is looking up he will upgrade from second-team All-Pro to first-time this season.

Joe Thuney, LG

The reigning Protector of the Year is back at it again, as it wasn't a perfect game for him, but everyone believes in him. He did allow four pressures and a quarterback hit, but up and down games happen. He'll bounce back.

The mainstays

Kyle Monangai, RB

Monangai showed off the speed a bit in the Panthers game with his 61-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. He finished with 100 yards and the score, proving that his rookie year wasn't a fluke and he's the real deal.

Cole Kmet, TE

Colston Loveland was shut out of a catch, so Kmet stepped up to the plate and had a spectacular 22-yard touchdown catch. The veteran tight end might be a backup for the moment, but he's still one of the better ones in the league at his position.

Rome Odunze, WR

Odunze only had two receptions, but his 47-yard catch when he Mossed the Panthers defender was fun to watch. He finished with 52 yards and looked solid, with the calf injury being a concern. It wasn't perfect for Odunze, but he looks like his old self again.

Luther Burden III, WR

Burden had a solid game, catching five passes for 63 yards. Bears fans got small glimpses of how good he can be, but are still waiting for the explosive plays. He still played well enough that there is confidence that he can handle the WR2 role.

The fast risers

Dillon Thieneman, S

The leading tackler on the Bears with 10 showed in his first game how good he can be. Thieneman was all over the field on defense and on special teams, also adding a pass deflection and quarterback hit. With the injuries piling up in the secondary, Thieneman needed to step up to the plate and he certainly did, living up to the first-round status.

Cam Lewis, DB

Being told last second that he was going to play safety in place of Xavier Woods and still putting up a solid performance made Bears fans respect Lewis in his first game with the team. He finished the game with six tackles, but got everyone excited about how he can help this defense out this season in the slot or at safety.

Malik Muhammad, DB

Muhammad was targeted a lot, but he played tight coverage from the nickel position. He allowed a passer rating of 39.8, the lowest among Bears corners and adding three tackles and two pass deflections in the win over the Panthers. This is looking like a guy who can replace Kyler Gordon if he can't get healthy soon.

Kalif Raymond, WR

Quite the game for someone that was expected to play second fiddle to Odunze and Burden. Raymond finished as the leading receiver with eight receptions for 84 yards. Bears fans have to feel better about the wide receiver room with Raymond playing so well.

The proving ground

The slipping grip

Braxton Jones, LT

Jones actually didn't have a bad game against Carolina, but the fact that the Bears felt like Theo Benedet still needed to get on the field showed that not enough was shown in Jones' performance. It's going to be interesting to see how long the Bears decide to keep letting Jones and Benedet jump in and out at left tackle, but it's not a good look. Ozzy Trapilo can't come back any sooner.

T.J. Edwards, LB

One tackle in a game is an incredibly bad look for an inside linebacker who is supposed to be the heartbeat of this defense. Edwards lost a lot of trust from the Bears fan base and better earn it in the next week or two if he wants to stay on the team.

Tyrique Stevenson, CB

Stevenson didn't show any kind of improvement at all at corner from last season. He had the fifth worst PFF grade at corner with 36.8 and allowed a perfect passer rating of 158.3. If Stevenson though he was going to show the Bears and other NFL teams he can start in the league, he has a funny way of showing it.

Jaylon Johnson, CB

While Stevenson was worse, Johnson is the biggest disappointment since he is a two-time Pro Bowler and didn't play up to those standards. He had a PFF grade of 44.8, allowed five receptions, and a passer rating of 113.7. There's hope he can improve, but Johnson already lost some trust from the injury last year, so this isn't making things any better.

Garrett Bradbury, C

Bradbury had a lot of buzz around him in training camp, but his debut as the Bears' center could have gone better. Pro Football Focus gave him a 49.9 overall grade, ranking 29th out of 32 centers. He needs to play better if he wants the trust of the Bears fan base because right now, Logan Jones is looking like a pretty good choice.

The afterthoughts

Dayo Odeyingbo, DL

Odeyingbo feels like the only one who deserves to be on here for the moment. It wasn't a bad game for him, but the Bears fans need to see more out of him with one tackle. The pressures are there, but he's getting about $50 million to sack the quarterback, and that production is not nearly close to being there.

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