Jaylon Johnson had been out most of the season with groin and core injuries. The Chicago Bears were forced to soldier on without their best defender, hoping he might be able to return before the end of the season. Their first sign of hope came when the team opened his 21-day practice window last Friday, indicating he was healthy enough to resume working with the team. From there, it became a question of how healthy he felt. If things came together nicely, he'd be activated. Initial speculation was he'd probably be back for the big showdown with Green Bay on December 7th. Sources told SM the original target date was against Philadelphia next Friday night.
Apparently, we weren't thinking big enough.
Montel Fleming, CEO of FDS Midwest Region Inc., is an NFL rehab specialist. He has been the one responsible for helping Johnson work his way back into game shape. He posted an update on Instagram early this morning. It showed the cornerback going through drills with a single quote listed near the bottom.
"He's ready."
It suggests Johnson himself said it, which would mean he feels good enough to play this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers.
Jaylon Johnson picked the perfect time to return.
Rodgers might not be the elite player he was five years ago, but the guy is still a future Hall of Famer. He can still put up numbers if you're not careful. There is no doubt he aims to return to Soldier Field one last time to rub it in the faces of Bears fans. That job would become significantly tougher with a healthy Jaylon Johnson on the field. Pittsburgh's only viable threat in the passing game is DK Metcalf. When teams have held him to 55 or fewer yards in a game, the Steelers are 3-4 this season.
Johnson was integral to shutting him down last year when the Bears played Seattle. Having him back would open so many doors for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to attack Rodgers. If this signal is what it appears to be, the Bears' defense just got significantly tougher going into an important matchup as their playoff push gets serious.
