Despite Jaylon Johnson’s Pro Bowl pedigree, critics question his elite trade value. Discover why injury narratives are overshadowing the cornerback's potential for a dominant 2026 revenge tour.
The Chicago Bears are loaded with talent at nearly every position.
On offense, there's Caleb Williams, Kyle Monangai, Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, Joe Thuney, Darnell Wright and Jonah Jackson.
The defense has Montez Sweat, Coby Bryant, Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and Devin Bush.
Johnson and Gordon have had their fair share of injury issues lately. Last season, Johnson was out from Weeks 2-12 with a groin injury. Gordon dealt with groin and hamstring issues throughout the year and only played in three regular-season games.
Bears fans know how good the two are when healthy.
Johnson is still recovering from his injury but is ready for a revenge tour in 2026. He was seen working on his lateral movement earlier this offseason and was starting to look like his old self.
Having an elite cornerback in the NFL is extremely valuable, and not everyone has that luxury. However, not everyone is sold on Johnson like Bears fans are.
A recent article from ESPN's Bill Barnwell went through and named players who would get a first-round pick on every NFL team.
For the Bears, he valued Williams at four first-rounders, with Wright, Odunze, Loveland and Dillon Thieneman each worth one.
Barnwell then had a section in which he discussed players who weren't worth a first-round pick. He had Montez Sweat and Johnson in that section for the Bears.
For Sweat, it makes sense.
Although he just had a great season with 10 sacks, he will be 30 in September and isn't getting any younger. He is also on a deal paying him $24.5 million per year.
I completely disagree with his take on Johnson, though.
Sure, Johnson had a down year since he was injured for most of last season, but when he's healthy, he's without a doubt one of the best players at his position.
This is the same player who went to two consecutive Pro Bowls before last season.
Johnson is no spring chicken either, but he is 27, which is a much better position than 30.
The sample size from Johnson last year was too small to make this kind of statement, in my opinion. He was only able to play in seven games due to his groin injury. If he played a full season and had a down year, I could be convinced that he wasn't worth a first-round pick anymore.
The Bears' secondary desperately needs a better season out of Johnson. We saw how bad the secondary was without him on the field, and this time they don't have as much depth as last year.
The backup corners are projected to be Malik Muhammad, Terell Smith, Dallis Flowers, Jaylon Jones, Dontae Manning, K.C. Eziomume and Josh Blackwell.
There's not much experience in that group, and if Johnson goes down again, we could see a repeat of 2025.
If the offseason is any indication, Johnson is ready to prove his worth.
