Chicago Bears fans know how truly great cornerback Jaylon Johnson is, but now the rest of the NFL has confirmed it.
ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler wrote the latest position rankings based on league personnel voting, with cornerbacks up next. Johnson ranked ninth against the rest of the NFL. Despite his dip in play last season, he still showed why he is great in coverage.
"Johnson was one of the most consistent corners over the past two years with a combined six interceptions and 18 pass deflections. His ball production dipped slightly in 2024, but he was more disruptive around the line of scrimmage with seven tackles for loss.
'Really good zone awareness. Sticky,' an NFL coordinator said. 'Versatile skill set.'
Johnson frequently played Cover 2 under former Bears coach Matt Eberflus, but he should get more man-coverage opportunities under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
'I think it will be good for him," the coordinator said. "He's got good feet, gets handsy at times, but he has enough awareness at this point in career that he can make a new scheme work.'"
Johnson will play a key role in the Bears' 2025 season
The very slight dip in production for Johnson last year has more to do with his interceptions (four in 2023 to two in 2024) and pass deflections (10 in 2023 to eight in 2024), but he had a career-high in tackles with 53. He made the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive season.
Looking deeper into Johnson's coverage numbers, he allowed a completion percentage of 66.1% last year, which was the highest of his career. On the flip side, his passer rating allowed was at 92.6, the second lowest of his career. His tackling skills deserve a lot of attention, as he only missed 8.6% of them in 2024, the lowest percentage of his career.
For a defense that allowed the sixth most yards per game last year, Johnson was the one consistent performer. They were dealing with a lack of a consistent pass rusher and Jaquan Brisker being injured for most of the season, so more was put on Johnson to step up, and he performed well.
Chicago's secondary is the strength to the defense with Johnson leading the way. As long as he can stay healthy and keep performing at a high level, the Bears will be solid against the pass.
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Bears fans have seen how well Johnson has played in his five-year career, and it appears the rest of the league acknowledges it as well.