GM Ryan Poles has made it clear that his primary goal is to pay in-house players. He wants the Chicago Bears to develop and reward their own. It's why he was thrilled to hand Cole Kmet a new contract this past off-season. He'd earned it after scoring seven touchdowns in 2022. The question going into 2023 was if somebody else with a contract situation might do the same. Wide receivers Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney were at the top of the list. Claypool flopped and was traded to Miami. Mooney hasn't gotten going. However, one other 2020 NFL draft alum has. That would be Jaylon Johnson.
Things didn't start well for him this year. He suffered an injury setback that cost him two games. His coverage remained solid, but the former 2nd round pick wasn't producing the big plays the Bears are looking for. That changed on Sunday. Johnson waited for the Bears to build a 24-6 lead in the 4th quarter before single-handedly slamming the door shut with two interceptions on back-to-back drives. The first went for a pick-six, putting the game away with under six minutes left. His timing couldn't have been any better.
The Chicago Bears already seemed intent on this course.
Reports from ESPN indicated the team wasn't interested in shopping their young cornerback at the upcoming trade deadline. This was a dead giveaway that they're hoping to work out a contract extension before free agency next March. If they were still hesitant on whether this was the right course of action, Johnson left no remaining doubts with his performance in the 4th quarter. He's always been solid in coverage. Now, he might finally have figured out how to create turnover opportunities.
Good cornerbacks are hard to find. The Chicago Bears seem to understand this. Johnson is a good football player and is only 24 years old. Keeping him around long-term as part of their young secondary makes far more sense. Tyrique Stevenson is also developing quickly on the opposite side. It feels like this defense has depth at the position for the first time in years. If they can somehow put together a capable pass rush in the near future, this defense might transform into something special.
