Tag: Jaylon Johnson

Caleb Williams was visibly frustrated with the Bears’ defensive approach before Commanders Hail Mary

Caleb Williams was infuriated by the Bears’ stunning choke job.

It’s the morning after the Washington Commanders’ shocking Hail Mary win, and the Chicago Bears sure seem like they’re all out of sorts.

Where head coach Matt Eberflus blamed Bears players for their “execution” before Dan Quinn directly contradicted his late-game coaching approach, superstar cornerback Jaylon Johnson refused to blame anyone for the loss.

But the main Bears person in focus here should be No. 1 pick quarterback Caleb Williams.

While Williams also did not scapegoat anyone in his postgame press conference, two separate videos show that the bright young quarterback was visibly frustrated with how the Bears approached Washington’s final Hail Mary possession.

In the first, you can see Williams near the top of the screen trying to get any of the Bears’ defenders on the field to come up and defend a key quick out to Terry McLaurin. In fact, it’s literally what Williams motions to when the CBS camera finally centers on him.

Naturally, no one listened:

The second video was just as telling.

With CBS’s camera focused on Williams’ reaction while watching Jayden Daniels throw and complete the Hail Mary, the Bears quarterback romps off the field in disgust, seemingly going off on a tirade about someone’s mistake (it could’ve also been the missed holding calls).

Some might say that, with his overall terrible game, Williams hasn’t earned the right to be this openly incensed. But, again, it’s worth noting that he didn’t actually blast anyone in public, and even with a poor three quarters of play to start, Williams engineered not one but two touchdown-worthy possessions on the road against a quality team in the final moments.

Williams is the leader and emotional pulse of the Bears, who gutted out a tough almost-win despite not bringing their A-game. Anyone would be just as upset by how Chicago blew it if they were in his shoes.

Jaylon Johnson took the high road to explain Bears’ pitiful Hail Mary defense

Jaylon Johnson is a great Bears leader and an even better teammate.

In the aftermath of a disastrous defeat squeezed out of the jaws of victory, it’s telling how people react to failure.

For example, there’s the Chicago Bears’ Matt Eberflus. The third-year coach put on a late-game disaster class to set up the Washington Commanders’ stunning Hail Mary win. And instead of falling on his sword, Eberflus decided to blame his players for their “execution.” That should tell you everything about him as a coach.

Then there’s Jaylon Johnson. He’s the Bears’ best player, a veritable All-Pro, and arguably the NFL’s top cornerback. Rather than follow Eberflus’ example, the superstar defender decided that the emotional aftermath of a tough defeat was not the time to throw anyone under the bus (Tyrique Stevenson, come on down!) under any circumstances.

Johnson’s explanation about what went wrong after the Bears’ loss says as much:

Man, that’s a great teammate right there. Because even while Johnson says he doesn’t know whose job it was to cover the back of the end zone, there’s a very high likelihood he had already seen the viral video of Stevenson trash-talking Commanders fans. But, because Johnson is mature and secure enough in his status as a star player, he understands it’s better to keep things in-house rather than tearing down a teammate in public.

Take notes, Matt Eberflus. Your best player is an actual leader.

Bears cornerback with some trash talk for Commanders

Bears cornerback plans on “whooping” the Commanders regardless of who plays QB.

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson doesn’t care who lines up under center for the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels injured his rib in last week’s 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers and did not return. Marcus Mariota relieved him, completing 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns.

This week, Daniels did not practice on Wednesday and Thursday and was limited on Friday. The Commanders listed him as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Bears.

Johnson doesn’t care if it’s Mariota or Daniels because he thinks the Bears will whip Washington’s backsides either way.

Here’s Johnson, in his own words.

“Honestly, I don’t give a damn who is out there,” Johnson said Friday. “I’m looking forward to whooping their ass either way.”

Interesting words from Johnson.

The last time an opposing player talked trash before a Washington game was in Week 3 when Cincinnati cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt called offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense a “nice college offense.”

The Commanders took down the Bengals on Monday Night Football. Will Sunday’s game offer a similar result? You can bet head coach Dan Quinn will let his players know of Johnson’s comments.

Gimme Him: One player the Commanders would steal from the Bears

The Commanders would steal one player from the Bears to help them out in Week 8.

The Washington Commanders enter Week 8 with some questions about the health of starting quarterback Jayden Daniels. He’s listed as week-to-week with a rib injury. In his stead, Marcus Mariota took over, and the Commanders continued their dominance by defeating the Carolina Panthers 40-7.

Even with their success this season, there’s always room for improvement. This week, the Commanders host the Chicago Bears, and Washington would love to steal cornerback Jaylon Johnson from their next opponent.

The Commanders’ secondary is middling at best, allowing 7.8 yards per pass play. Johnson is in his fifth year; all five have been with the Bears. A veteran at his position, he has the instincts and ability to make an impact on the field. This season, Johnson has 17 tackles (14 solo), two interceptions, and five passes defended.

It’s not just his stats that the Commanders need, though. They need his ability to stop a play before it gets started. At 6-foot-0 and 196 pounds, Johnson can sneak around on the field with relative ease. Creating turnovers is something the Commanders need more of, and Johnson can certainly do that.

Besides, with four players listed at corner on the depth chart, the position needs some serious help with depth. Johnson would be an asset if the Commanders could steal him this week.

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Bears’ Jaylon Johnson was so thrilled to watch Tory Taylor’s booming 60-plus yard punts

The Bears’ monster-legged punter was their best player on Sunday.

Usually, the quarterback, No. 1 receiver, or star pass-rusher is the best player in an NFL victory. But in the Chicago Bears’ 24-18 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, one could’ve easily argued that rookie punter Tory Taylor was the biggest reason the Bears climbed back to a 2-2 record.

Chicago superstar cornerback Jaylon Johnson seemed to allude to this as much.

After the game, Johnson effusively singed Tory’s praises, saying Sunday was the first time in a long time he was actually excited to watch someone punt. This sentiment makes sense when you note that Taylor averaged 55.4 yards per attempt and, at one point, even launched a booming 66-yarder (!) with the Bears protecting a fourth-quarter lead.

Talk about flipping a game on its head on special teams.

As the Bears work through their current offensive issues and try to stack positive momentum, winning the field position battle will be huge for Caleb Williams and friends. From this respect, Taylor more than did his part to help his team get back to .500.

Mic’d-up C.J. Stroud told Jaylon Johnson to ‘stop telling your secrets’ to Richard Sherman podcast

“You ain’t getting me!”

Ah, we loved a good mic’d-up moment in the NFL, and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had two of them last week.

The first was his classy message to Caleb Williams after the win over the Chicago Bears. The second? It was when he went up to Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson and had this to say: “Stop telling your secrets on Richard Sherman’s podcast, dude.”

“You ain’t slick, brother,” he added. “You ain’t getting me!”

What was he referring to? Apparently, Johnson spoke on Sherman’s podcast about how he made a pick on a Vikings throw from Josh Dobbs last season.

Clearly, that gave Stroud some intel on how Johnson thinks about certain plays. Fascinating!

https://twitter.com/TheVolumeSports/status/1836533156704587918

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Richard Sherman was in awe over Jaylon Johnson’s insightful breakdown of one of his more unbelievable INTs

Richard Sherman is a BIG fan of Bears superstar CB Jaylon Johnson.

In his prime, Richard Sherman was the clear best cornerback in the NFL. Sherman utilized his unique combination of strength, length, and intelligence to be a star on three separate teams (two with the Seattle Seahawks and one with the San Francisco 49ers) that made the Super Bowl.

These days, as a media member, Sherman seems to be on a mission to find out who that next big cornerback name is. From that perspective, he’s understandably a huge fan of the Chicago Bears’ Jaylon Johnson.

In a recent interview on his podcast, Sherman talks to the 2023 Second-Team All-Pro about the Bears’ expectations this season with the promising Caleb Williams and what he sees in himself. One of the more notable segments features Sherman having his mind blown by how Johnson explained a highlight reel interception against the Minnesota Vikings last season.

Considering that Sherman knows better than almost anyone about how difficult it is to be on an island with elite playmakers, it’s eye-opening seeing him in shock over Johnson’s athleticism and aptitude on a big play:

To be a star cornerback, you can’t always go by the book. You can’t assume that your athletic ability and simple positioning will just win out. Sometimes, you’ve got to let your keen play studies help you key on a tendency you noticed while practicing for a specific team.

As Sherman marveled, that’s exactly what Johnson did here — potentially risking surrendering a big play against him — because he understood how the Vikings would attack his area of the field.

If this whole conversation isn’t a clear sign that Johnson might become one of the biggest-name defenders in pro football, then I don’t know what is.

Jaylon Johnson believes this is one of the Bears’ best rosters he’s had

Pro Bowl CB Jaylon Johnson believes this 2024 Bears roster is among the best he’s had since joining the NFL.

The Chicago Bears have been one of the most-talked teams this offseason, and optimism is high following a busy offseason with some impactful new additions.

That includes rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who takes over for the departed Justin Fields, along with rookie receiver Rome Odunze, receiver Keenan Allen, running back D’Andre Swift, safety Kevin Byard and tight end Gerald Everett.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who signed a four-year contract extension with Chicago this offseason, had high praise for this roster during an appearance on “Jim Rome.”

“I can say this is one of the best rosters I’ve had since being with the Bears,” Johnson said.

While the new additions are expected to be key contributors, there’s also plenty of returning talent on the roster that will be crucial to the team’s success in 2024.

The Bears defense features Johnson, Pro Bowl defensive end Montez Sweat and a slew of core returners, including cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson, safety Jaquan Brisker and linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds. They had a strong finish to the 2023 season, and they have the potential to be a top-10 unit in 2024.

There’s plenty of returning talent on offense, as well, including receiver DJ Moore, tight end Cole Kmet, running backs Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson and offensive linemen Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins and Braxton Jones.

3 Bears named to CBS Sports’ Top 100 NFL Players of 2024

The Bears have plenty of young talent, and three players landed on Pete Prisco’s list of the Top 100 Players of 2024.

The Chicago Bears have a slew of talent on the roster, which general manager Ryan Poles has spent the past three years cultivating in order to put this team in a position to succeed.

CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco unveiled his annual “Top 100 NFL Players” list, where three Bears players made the cut. And it’s no surprise all three returning veterans played a key role during the late second-half run in 2023.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson topped the list for Chicago at No. 34. He established himself as one of the NFL’s best cover corners, and he also has a career-high four interceptions. He also has recorded 36 tackles and 10 pass breakups. Johnson earned a massive contract extension this offseason.

He had his breakout season in 2023, which earned him a new contract from the team. He gives them a true No. 1 corner and will team with Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon to give them one of the best trios in the league.

After Johnson, there was a dropoff until defensive end Montez Sweat landed at No. 73. He was acquried in a trade last year and quickly earned a massive contract extension. Sweat’s career-high 12.5 sacks ranked third in the NFC. He led both the Bears (6.0) and Commanders (6.5) in sacks last season, becoming the first player to accomplish that in NFL history.

He had a career-best 12 1/2 sacks last season playing for the Commanders and Bears. He was traded midway through the season from Washington to Chicago and quickly established himself as the top edge player on the Chicago defense.

Wide receiver DJ Moore rounded out the list for the Bears at No. 84. Moore is coming off a career year with Chicago, with 96 catches for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns, after being acquired in the massive trade for the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. While the Bears added two big names at receiver with Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze, Moore will still be the featured guy on offense.

He had a career-best 96 catches in his first season with the Bears. But the best thing about him is his big-play ability that is evident by his 14.2 yards-per-catch average.

When looking at the talent on the roster, there’s no reason these players — and some returning veterans and newcomers — won’t be able to crack this list at this time next offseason.

Jaylon Johnson eager to go against Bears’ top 3 WRs in training camp

Jaylon Johnson is looking to elevate his game when he battles the likes of Bears WRs DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze this summer.

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson cashed in on a four-year, $76 million contract extension this offseason, where he’ll continue to serve as a cornerstone for Chicago’s ascending defense.

Johnson is coming off a career year, where he was one of the NFL’s best cover cornerbacks, and he’s looking to prove he can consistently be a top player in the league.

Something that should help the fifth-year veteran is battling against the Bears’ potent wide receiver trio featuring DJ Moore, Keenan Allen (acquired via trade this offseason) and rookie Rome Odunze. And it’s a challenge he’s looking forward to given the talent in place.

“[Keenan] is a receiver that is unpredictable,” Johnson said. “As skillful as a lot of these guys are in this league that do a lot of great things, I feel like they are not as unpredictable, they are not as crafty as I feel like Keenan is. So being able to go against that every day, I think it’s something that can help me and DBs to get better. Then of course Rome Odunze coming in and finding his way, more so mentally, and then letting his instincts and his physical being take over after that. Of course, DJ Moore is DJ — he’s a playmaker so for me, every time I come out, especially for camp, I know I’ll be ready to go for sure.”

As they say, iron sharpens iron. And it’s safe to say these battles between defensive backs and receivers will be must-see during training camp this summer.