NEWSLETTER
It was painful to watch, but I’ll admit to mildly chuckling when seeing Jaylon Johnson put on a Cheesehead because he lost a bet to a friend who is a Packers fan.
The only thing more painful to watch might be the Chicago Bears secondary without their top cornerback for an extended period of time.
And even though Chicago’s defensive backs held their own against the New York Giants last week, the Minnesota Vikings present a tougher challenge this week. Unlike the Giants, the Vikings have healthy receivers. Minnesota also has Justin Jefferson, an all-world receiver who puts even the best corners on skates. With that in mind, it would be nice to have Johnson — who missed the Bears’ last two games due to a quad injury — back in the lineup.
Unfortunately, for the Bears, it doesn’t sound like Johnson’s return is coming soon. Because in the same interview in which he discussed losing that bet, Johnson also opened up about a timetable for a potential return:
“It’s hard to tell right now,” Johnson said, via 670 The Score’s Spiegel and Parkins Show. “Really, I’m just trying to get better, start moving on the field, start really trying to run and do some position drills and things like that, just trying to see where I’m really at. But there’s no clear-cut answer right now. I’m just trying to see how my body responds to getting back out there and moving around and pushing myself a little more and just seeing how by body moves and how my body reacts.”
On the one hand, I don’t want to overanalyze Johnson’s words. But on the other hand, Johnson’s interpretation of the situation makes it seem like his return isn’t imminent. Granted, Johnson went on to say that he is approaching every week as if he’ll play. That includes studying and staying in shape in other ways as if to put himself in the best position to play if given the medical green light to do so. It’s just that if the body says no, then it’ll be a no-go for CB1.
We’ll continue to monitor Johnson’s status on the injury report, which will drop at some point Wednesday. I’m not holding my breath. But I do feel better about Johnson’s future status knowing that he is staying engaged despite the injury.
