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Tag: Jaylon Johnson Bears

  • Williams up and down as Bears D looks to be elite

    Williams up and down as Bears D looks to be elite

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    Bears corners Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon weigh in on defense’s potential

    LAKE FOREST, Ill. — In the span of two plays at Chicago Bears minicamp Wednesday, Caleb Williams went from being picked off by Tremaine Edmunds, to throwing a deep touchdown pass to Velus Jones Jr — An illustration of the continued ups and downs of life as a rookie quarterback in June minicamp practices.

    But those ups and downs should come with the added caveat that Williams, the new golden goose of Bears football, is dueling against a defense that was Top 15 in the NFL last year in total yards allowed, and tied for the league lead in team interceptions (22).

    “It’s intimidating for other people,” said Kyler Gordon. “People constantly getting hit, constantly running to the ball, all different hats [are] loud, people communicating loud … I love it.”

    With veteran safety Kevin Byard being the lone addition to Chicago’s secondary this offseason, the hope is to hit the ground running with the goal of taking that next step toward being a truly elite defense in the NFL.

    “It’s a lot of energy out there for us to have,” said Jaylon Johnson. “I definitely think we can take it up a few notches this year and we’re going to have a good offense to go against to make us better.”

    After signing a four-year/$76 million contract extension back in early March, being the best cornerback in football is all the motivation Johnson said he needs heading into next season to ensure he that title can be earned.

    “I feel like for me, I’m on a different level mentally,” Johnson said. “Then I feel like the consistency part just comes with honing in on my technique, and that’s something I take extreme pride in.”

    According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson had the highest coverage grade (91.0) and defensive grade (90.8) among NFL cornerbacks last year, while also giving up the fewest receiving yards among corners who were the primary defender on pass plays (195) in the NFL.

    For his performance, Johnson was named second team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 2023.

    Injury absences at minicamp and contract talks

    Cole Kmet and Braxton Jones were held out of Wednesday’s practice for precautionary reasons ahead of the Bears’ summer conditioning program, according to head coach Matt Eberflus.

    Teven Jenkins, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal, said his representation has reached out to Chicago general manager Ryan Poles about a possible contract extension, but nothing is on the table at this point in the year.

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    Kaitlin Sharkey

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  • Eberflus: Sweat will ‘be here next week’ for minicamp

    Eberflus: Sweat will ‘be here next week’ for minicamp

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    Pro Bowl edge rusher was one of a number of absences from the Bears final day of offseason OTA’s

    LAKE FOREST, Ill. — A noted absence from Chicago Bears offseason OTA’s, at least during sessions available to the media, was Pro Bowl defensive end Montez Sweat.

    Head Coach Matt Eberflus cleared some of the air around his top edge rusher Friday.

    “I’m not going to get into all the numbers, in terms of like the exact dates and when guys were here, but he’s been in the building,” Eberflus said of Sweat. “He’s been here a few, several times during the offseason and when he’s in, he’s locked in and ready to go.

    “And of course, he’ll be here next week and we’re excited about that.”

    Eberflus went on to say Sweat has not been around the team “for the last couple weeks,” but the key for him going into next season will be to perfect a consistent burst off the line, and like everyone else on Chicago’s roster this offseason, establish a good base of conditioning leading into the warmest months of the year.

    “His whole thing is about having a consistent get-off and then getting that base for the offseason leading into summer,” Eberflus said. “That’s really for everybody. We’re talking about that daily—about guys getting a good base going into summer conditioning because they’ll have about 42 days before they come back. And that’s going to be important for him.”

    According to The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain, Nate Davis and Rome Odunze were present Friday, but Keenan Allen, Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard were also absent from the Bears’ last OTA session.

    When asked if young guys, like rookie fifth round pick Austin Booker, were getting extra reps with the absence of established veterans like Sweat, Eberflus said they were, but there’s only so much that can be evaluated at this point in time.

    “Yeah, I think [DeMarcus] Walker was ill the last couple days so, he was sitting out today,” Eberflus said. “I think the young guys do get a lot more reps in there. But again, we got to wait until the pads come on. We got to see that to really evaluate that. You have to wait for the pads.”

    And when pads come on, Eberflus said that he expects Sweat, and the roster to be in full attendance once mandatory minicamp begins on Tuesday, June 4.

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    Eli Ong

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  • Report: Bears, Jaylon Johnson agree to new contract

    Report: Bears, Jaylon Johnson agree to new contract

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    CHICAGO — Jaylon Johnson is going to be a Chicago Bear for the foreseeable future after reportedly signing a contract extension Thursday.

    According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, Johnson and the Bears have agreed upon a 4-year/$76 million extension, with $54.4 million in guarantees.

    In comparison to his peers around the league, the 54.5 million in guarantees is the fifth-most for a corner in the NFL, with the total value of the reported contract ($76 million) checking in at seventh highest.

    Heading into the 2023 NFL regular season, Johnson said it was his personal goal to make an NFL All-Pro team — and on Jan. 12 of this year — he was announced as a member of the Associated Press’ All-Pro Second Team.

    According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson was tops among all corners in overall defensive grade (90.8), coverage grade (91.0) and gave up the fewest receiving yards among corners who were the primary defender on pass plays (196) in the NFL last year.

    With Johnson locked in long term, the Bears no longer have to worry about keeping their best defender in house when NFL free agency kicks off, which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. EST on March 13.

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    Eli Ong

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