LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears opened up the 21-day practice window for cornerback Jaylon Johnson, a surprising development only nine weeks after Johnson required surgery.
In Week 2, Johnson injured his groin while making a diving play in Detroit. He was placed on injured reserve, with some reports indicating that any potential return would be late in the season.
But Friday, two days before the Bears’ Week 11 game in Minnesota, Johnson practiced with his teammates.
“I think he’s in a good spot right now, and I think being out on the grass is going to be a good thing for him,” coach Ben Johnson said.
Jaylon Johnson, a two-time Pro Bowl corner, missed all of training camp, the preseason and the season opener after an offseason training injury when he tore the abductor off his pelvic bone. He returned for Week 2, and then sustained a new injury, which he explained to 670 the Score in Chicago, “the other side of it was compromised.”
“I mean, he wants to be out there with these guys,” Ben Johnson said. “This year has not gone the way he really envisioned it. You come in, and it happens during the summer, the initial (injury) and you miss training camp, and then you’re hopeful you’re back to where you were before. And you get hurt in the first game back.
“I think he really wants to be out there, and so he’s worked his tail off to get to this point. And it’s on us as coaches to put him in a good spot here, going forward, to get him ready to compete here in the rest of the year.”
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With Johnson out, Nahshon Wright has been starting at corner opposite Tyrique Stevenson. After starting only three games in his first four NFL seasons, Wright has three interceptions and seven passes defensed in eight starts. But the Bears are allowing 7.81 yards per pass, which ranks 31st in the league.
The latest Johnson would need to be activated to the 53-man roster would be the Friday leading into Week 14, when the Bears face the Packers in Green Bay. Other players who have returned from IR — defensive end Austin Booker and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga — have practiced for the entire window before returning to game action. It’d be quite unlikely that Johnson is ready after one walkthrough practice to face Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and the Vikings. However, the Bears listed him as questionable after being a limited participant in practice. Maybe he could put himself in position to face Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers next week, which would still be pretty stunning considering the early prognosis.
The Bears are also without nickel corner Kyler Gordon, who is on IR with a hamstring injury, and linebacker T.J. Edwards, who had surgery on his hand and is dealing with a hamstring injury. Edwards is not on IR, a good sign for his eventual return, and Johnson is hopeful that Gordon will be back this season as well.
That could set up the defense to be close to full strength when the schedule gets toughest. They play at the Eagles on Black Friday, then have two matchups with the Packers in the next three weeks before finishing the season with games at the 49ers and at home against the defending division champion Lions.
“Those are three guys going into the season you had a lot of high hopes for and what they could do,” Ben Johnson said. “I certainly had a tremendous amount of respect for all three of those guys competing against them the last few years. I’ll be excited when we get all three back on the field together.”
Having Jaylon Johnson against those receivers would be monumental. He was looking forward to Dennis Allen’s defense, which would give him the opportunity to shadow opposing No. 1 receivers.
Ben Johnson has been adamant that the Bears will be playing their best football in December. Having an All-Pro corner available to them would certainly give them that boost.