A player’s absence from OTAs makes plenty of fans itchy.
It doesn’t bother me one bit that cornerback Jaylon Johnson hasn’t been at Halas Hall for the last two sets of voluntary practices. But I understand why it concerns a segment of fans. Johnson, 24, is a returning three-year starter at an important position. In addition to his on-field prowess, Johnson flashed the type of growth and leadership you’d like to have around Halas Hall — especially after drafting two cornerbacks in last April’s NFL Draft.
So while Johnson hasn’t been available at early sessions of OTAs, Chicago’s CB1 told ESPN’s morning show starring Keyshawn Johnson, Jay Williams, and Max Kellerman that he’ll be around for the next session at Halas Hall:
Bears CB Jaylon Johnson was on @KeyJayandMax this morning and said he will "for sure" be at OTAs next week after missing the first two weeks. "I know I had a lot of things off the field going on." Said that he's been spending time w/ his young daughter back in Fresno, California— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) June 1, 2023
I’ll never begrudge an athlete for missing voluntary workouts to spend time with his family. Life is short. And some things are bigger than football. Among those things is family time. Again, I’d love it if Johnson was hanging with the gang at the Bears’ minicamp. However, it isn’t the end of the world that he isn’t at Halas Hall right now. Johnson publicly committing to being at next week’s sessions of OTAs provides a sense of relief. Whew! Jaylon had us worried for a minute.
As for Johnsons’ future, he was reflecting on that, too:
"to be able to have a new contract, to be able to re-up. For me, it’s just about going out and being who I am."
Johnson stated several ways in which he is a "dominant" cornerback but also noted that he hasn't had a winning season since he was drafted by CHI in 2020.— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) June 1, 2023
Perhaps Johnson’s angle here is a public negotiation ploy. It wouldn’t be the first time a player was skipping out on voluntary offseason team activities as part of negotiation positioning. If it happens to be the case, at least Johnson is successfully striking a balance between showing your teammates and bosses that you’re still committed to the game while also letting it known you’d like to cash in with a new contract and stay awhile. When healthy, Johnson has proven to be someone you want in your secondary. And he has done it in two different schemes. Durability has been an issue, but a healthy 2023 season could go a long way toward silencing those criticisms.
We’ll be on the lookout for a full video replay of Johnson’s interview and will share it here when available.
