Jaylon Johnson sent a simple message at the perfect time to ease some of the concern Bears fans are having about one issue
He’s working his way back toward a 2025 return.
The Chicago Bears missed out on another golden opportunity this week to address a major liability on the defensive side of the ball at the outside cornerback position.
On Tuesday, free agent cornerback and former second-round pick Asante Samuel Jr. was scheduled to visit with the Bears, as one of the many team visits on his calendar after being cleared to play. However, that visit never transpired. Samuel instead signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad, despite being scheduled to meet with them on Wednesday.
Missing out on Samuel dwindles the Bears’ possible avenues of adding another impact player to the secondary, and now Chicago is forced to play the waiting game. But the team did get one positive update at the perfect time when spirits were low.
Jaylon Johnson shares encouraging recovery update since being placed on the injured reserve
In September, the Bears placed star Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson on the injured reserve after undergoing core muscle surgery to repair an injured groin that plagued him going all the way back to the summer.
Johnson appeared in just one game this season, the Week 2 loss to the Detroit Lions, but left the game early after injuring another area of his groin. On Tuesday night, Johnson posted a video of himself working out on Instagram with an encouraging update.
“They said Jaylon Johnson was out indefinitely, nahhhhh,” the caption of the post said.
A 2025 return was always in the cards for Johnson after being placed on the injured reserve, but the target date was always unclear for when that return would actually happen.
“The biggest thing for me is to try to just get healthy as quick as I can,” Johnson said in October. “For me, I’m not putting a timeline on anything. I’m not going to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ll be good in 6-8 weeks.’ I’m not going to say I’m going to be good in three months, after the season. I can’t tell you that.”
The hope inside the building is that Johnson can return to the field at some point in December at the earliest, but neither side is eager to rush the recovery process with this specific injury. At 6-3, the Bears are still firmly in the NFC playoff picture, and if that’s still the case over the next month or so, Johnson will be trying his best to make it back for a final late-season push.
“I just saw Jaylon in the weight room. He seems like he’s excited about where he is right now, and he’s hopeful that he’s going to be able to be out on the practice field in the near future,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson told reporters on Wednesday.
In the meantime, the Bears will continue to roll with Tyrique Stevenson and Nahshon Wright on the outside. After Week 11, the Bears can open the 21-day practice window for Kyler Gordon to return from the injured reserve, and he can bring some boost on the outside with C.J. Gardner-Johnson continuing to impress in Gordon’s role at nickel.
Chicago Bears News
Rome Odunze sets a legendary ceiling for what his connection with Caleb Williams can become in Chicago
The sky is the limit for this young duo for the Chicago Bears.
