The Chicago Bears didn't have Jaylon Johnson in week one against Minnesota and it was pretty clear in the 4th quarter. He managed to return last weekend for the big matchup against Detroit. Things looked fine in the first half. Then Johnson exited the game and didn't return. That raised major red flags about whether the cornerback reaggravated the groin injury that knocked him out of training camp. Sure enough, Adam Schefter provided the update everybody feared. Johnson is out indefinitely, and it doesn't look like he'll return anytime soon.
This is the worst-case scenario for the Bears' defense. People saw how bad things got after Johnson left the field. Detroit threw on them at will. It doesn't figure to get much better next week against Dallas. Injuries decimate the entire cornerback room. Kyler Gordon still hasn't returned from a hamstring issue. Terell Smith is on IR already. Rookie Zah Frazier never even debuted because of an undisclosed issue. Tyrique Stevenson is their only healthy body, and he hasn't exactly played well. Throw in their nearly toothless pass rush, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Jaylon Johnson pretty much set the tone for this season.
Things felt off with this team from the moment news came out that he wouldn't practice when training camp began. He later revealed he'd torn the abductor muscle off his pelvic bone. Such injuries can take a long time to heal. If he re-injured it, we're likely looking at a month or longer of missed time. That means he is going on Injured Reserve. The only thing left to do is make it official. Chicago is certain to shake up their cornerback room with roster moves in the coming week, trying to find solutions. Given how Dennis Allen prefers to call defense, it feels like the Bears are destined for more ugly performances like Sunday in Detroit. We're talking 2013-2014 levels of bad.
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