Bear Necessities: Jaylon Johnson ready to dominate as he makes his return

Jaylon Johnson is back for the Bears, and he’s ready to get back to his goal of becoming a dominant cornerback in this league.

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The Chicago Bears defense will be armed with their top cornerback in Jaylon Johnson, who is set to return to the lineup as they battle the Washington Commanders on Thursday night.

Johnson has missed the last three games with a quad injury, which has left a young, inexperienced secondary even more vulnerable. Johnson was a full participant in practice all week, and he was removed from the injury report without a game designation.

With Johnson making his return Thursday night against the Commanders, he’s ready to get back to his goal of becoming a dominant cornerback in this league.

“My whole thing this year is really about dominating,” Johnson said, via 670 the Score’s Chris Emma. “…Coming back healthy and being ready to go, I feel like that’s another step in that direction of dominating.”

To say Johnson’s impact on this defense is significant would be an understatement. In the two games he played this season (Weeks 1 & 2), Johnson wasn’t targeted once in coverage. His presence alone is huge for this defense.

Kindle Vildor has been filling in for Johnson in his absence, and he’s been a solid contributor. He even logged his first career NFL interception in last week’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Now with Johnson back, the Bears will have a cornerback group that also includes Vildor and rookie Kyler Gordon.