With Jaylon Johnson sidelined, the Chicago Bears are finding out who is ready to rise up at cornerback during training camp
When the Chicago Bears reported back for training camp on Tuesday, one of the biggest bombshells dropped by general manager Ryan Poles was that cornerback Jaylon Johnson is expected to miss weeks due to a leg injury suffered while training.The issues in the secondary compounded on Wednesday, the first day of practice, when fifth-round rookie […]
When the Chicago Bears reported back for training camp on Tuesday, one of the biggest bombshells dropped by general manager Ryan Poles was that cornerback Jaylon Johnson is expected to miss weeks due to a leg injury suffered while training.
The issues in the secondary compounded on Wednesday, the first day of practice, when fifth-round rookie Zah Frazier was not seen participating in practice.
Such is life in the NFL and the earlier the team experiences these kind of setbacks, the better. It's a next man up mentality and working through it in camp allows more opportunities for other guys to step up.
"I think really our focus has to be on the guys that we have out here right now," defensive coordinator Dennis Allen told reporters on Wednesday. "We’re going to work on coaching the hell out of them and getting those guys better. Sometimes you have to face some adversity and how you overcome that, we’ll get a good opportunity to see who wants to step up in his absence.”
Getting a look at the depth
When the Bears started team drills on Wednesday with the first-team offense going up against the first-team defense, the cornerback position was comprised of Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, and Nahshon Wright.
Wright got first-team looks as well back during OTAs and minicamp when Johnson was absent from practice, so it wasn't much of a surprise to see the veteran out there, but he's still a name most fans aren't familiar with.
Wright signed with Chicago as a free agent back in early April after playing one season for the Minnesota Vikings in another aggressive scheme ran by defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Prior to being traded to Minnesota, the 6'4 cornerback played three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys under defensive backs coach Al Harris, who is now the defensive backs coach in Chicago.
Wright is clearly a player Harris trusts in this system given their history and Allen mentioned his experience being what gave him the nod on Wednesday.
Behind Stevenson and Wright, Allen mentioned other players will be mixed around in Johnson's absence, including third-year cornerback Terell Smith, who missed time during the spring due to injury.
"We didn’t see a lot of him in the spring. He was coming off the injury. He’s worked extremely hard to get himself back," Allen added. "I’m excited about seeing what he can do and he’s got some of the characteristics we’re looking for in our corners. He’s got size. He’s got speed. He’s got length and those are the things I think are important to play that position for us in our style of defense."
So, while it's a shame to not see the back-to-back Pro Bowler on the field with the rest of the defense, the other cornerbacks on the roster are using this time to rise up and prove what they can do in this scheme. Then, once Johnson is back, the entire position will be a much more rounded and experienced group from top to bottom.
"Obviously, we'd love for him to be out there but that's not the way it is right now," Allen explained. "We're not going to get into what the consequences of that are right now. We're going to concentrate on each and every day coaching the hell out of the guys that are out here. Getting those guys better. And then, when Jaylon's out there, he'll add a lot to our defense."
