Jaylon Johnson should be getting better support from the Bears' fanbase for more reasons than one during early stages of Pro Bowl voting
The Chicago Bears aren't having the year many expected in 2024 but the organization has made it clear it's not because of the players on the team.Amid a 4-8 start to the season, the Bears have already fired both head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron in the span of three weeks.On the […]
The Chicago Bears aren't having the year many expected in 2024 but the organization has made it clear it's not because of the players on the team.
Amid a 4-8 start to the season, the Bears have already fired both head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron in the span of three weeks.
On the field, the Bears are loaded with talent who have been fed up with the team's recent struggles. A few have been playing at a high level rivaling some of the top players at their positions despite the lost season.
However, based on the early Pro Bowl voting leaderboards, the Bears aren't getting much love from the fans. The Bears had zero players inside the Top-10 at any position based on the early voting totals. A striking contrast compared to the rest of the NFC North considering the Lions, Packers, and Vikings had 45 combined players on the list.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson, one of the team's Pro Bowlers from the 2023 season, shared his thoughts on the matter late on Monday on social media.
Through the first 13 weeks of the season, Johnson has elevated his Pro Bowl play from a season prior and is continuing to prove he's one of the best cornerbacks in the entire league. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson's 80.0 passer rating allowed ranks 9th among cornerbacks with 400+ coverage snaps and 3rd in the NFC.
Unfortunately, the Pro Bowl selection comes down to a fan vote and Johnson will need the support of Bears fans to reach his second consecutive Pro Bowl.
Luckily, Johnson has been receiving a lot of support from the fanbase over the last few days after his locker room explosion on Thursday played a part in the team moving on from their former head coach.
“At the end of the day, there was frustration. There were words from myself that I expressed just from my frustration of losing,” Johnson said on Monday. “Part of what I said after the game is I’ve been losing for five years. So, I mean, I feel like a high-level player like myself, after a certain point, losing games how we’ve been losing games, someone has to express something. It was one of those situations where it just got to that point where you don’t remember everything that was said.”
Johnson clearly said something that resonated with the front office and his fellow players in the locker room. On Monday, wide receiver DJ Moore defended his actions and general manager Ryan Poles noted the reactions from the locker room played a part in finally making the decision.
That outburst and Johnson's play on the field should be more than enough for fans to show their support by helping send the team's top defensive back to Orlando.
Fans can fill out their Pro Bowl ballots and vote for Johnson and fellow Bears' players by using this link.
