The Chicago Bears have operated with a crippled limb all season. That is how significant the injuries have been. Left tackle Braxton Jones was never healthy and is back on IR. T.J. Edwards and Kyler Gordon have battled multiple setbacks all season. Dayo Odeyingbo tore his Achilles and Shemar Turner his ACL. Both are done for the year. Yet the biggest loss has unquestionably been Jaylon Johnson, their star cornerback. He's missed all but one game this year, and some wondered if he'd be able to get back. Ben Johnson officially put that mystery to bed.
News broke that the Bears activated the 21-day practice window for Jaylon on Friday. Johnson confirmed this during his press conference. That means he will resume practicing on Monday. From there, it becomes a question of how he and the Bears feel about his preparation and conditioning. Based on the timeline, it is likely he would be ready for the big December 7th matchup against the Green Bay Packers. However, if things go well, he could even return in time for what could be Chicago's last battle against Aaron Rodgers when Pittsburgh comes to town on the 23rd.
Ben Johnson knows how big this could be.
Jaylon is one of the best cornerbacks in football. The head coach knows from having to go against him for years when he was with Detroit. Getting that caliber of player back will be a significant boost for a defense that has struggled for most of the season. That is particularly true with the quality passing attacks they must face.
- Aaron Rodgers
- Jalen Hurts
- Jordan Love
- Brock Purdy
- Jared Goff
These are all guys who know how to win and will make you pay if you're not careful. Having a healthy Johnson should instantly make life easier for the secondary and allow defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to be more aggressive. That should lead to more stops and possibly more takeaways. Ben Johnson knows the Bears win when that happens. Add Gordon and Edwards to the mix as well, and this defense could look far different from the one we've seen most of the season.
