Bears get the Jaylon Johnson update they were hoping for before training camp, as signs point to his old form returning
Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has gone through a lot over the last 12 months after suffering a groin injury last summer that plagued the majority of his 2025-26 season. Now, Johnson is fully back and ready to return to his old form.
Saying Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has had a rough last 12 months is putting things incredibly lightly and no one understands truly what he had to go through than Johnson himself.
This time last year, the Bears were a few days away from the start of training camp going into the first season under head coach Ben Johnson and finishing out the rest of their summer break. For Jaylon Johnson, it was the start of an incredibly frustrating year.
During the break before camp, Johnson suffered a groin injury that placed him on the self for the entirety of training camp. He managed to make his way back onto the field in Week 2 of the regular season, but his return made the injury even worse, forcing him to undergo surgery and miss the next nine games of the season.
Johnson returned to the field in Week 13 and played out the rest of the season, but it was clear he wasn’t yet at 100 percent and not nearly at the Pro Bowl level he played at during the prior to seasons. Now, things are finally starting to look up.
Jaylon Johnson is back at 100 percent heading into training camp after 2025 injury concerns
It was a surprise to see Johnson out on the field during voluntary OTAs with the rest of his teammates earlier this spring. By the end of mandatory minicamp, Johnson was making plays that reminded people of the player he’s capable of being.
When asked if Johnson was back to “himself” again, the team’s head coach offered an honest answer but made sure to express optimism based on what he’s seen from Johnson.
“I don’t know that I ever saw ‘himself’ so it’s hard for me to gauge that, particularly this time of year,” Johnson said. “But I think he had a good day out there. He’s been able to stack a few of those throughout the OTAs. I think his mind is probably getting more confident in terms of the movements he’s making. So yeah, he’s a vital part of what we want to do. You know he’s been a Pro Bowl-caliber player in the past, and hopefully we can get that out of him again this year.”
Hidden inside that answer was a challenge the team’s head coach had for Johnson. He wanted to see full confidence back in Johnson’s movements on the field, and the latest training update going into camp answers that challenge.
Earlier in the week, Johnson’s rehab specialist posted a video of Johnson training on his Instagram with the caption ““We back ⚡️100%.” which is as good of a sign as any that Johnson is fully confident again in his abilities and movements.
Training camp will be the true test to see if Jaylon Johnson is back to Pro Bowl form for the Bears
As mentioned before, Johnson missed out on the entirety of the team’s training camp last offseason, which was an intense and physically demanding few weeks to gear up for the start of the season. Players were noting how Chicago’s camp last year was even more grueling than other teams’ they’ve been with in the past.
Johnson, later this month, will get to experience that level of intensity in practice for the first time and that will be the true test to see if he’s back in Pro Bowl form.
If that’s the case, Chicago’s defense will have one of their elite play-makers back in action and his return is enough to elevate the entire unit up multiple levels.