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Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has been with the franchise for seven years now.
His career with the Bears has had its ups and downs.
Johnson was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Utah. After three years with the Bears, he finally got the recognition he deserved. He made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and 2024.
It's safe to say that the 2025 season was a down year for Johnson. He sustained a groin injury that knocked him out until Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
There was a noticeable difference in the secondary when Johnson wasn't healthy. The Bears allowed the 11th most passing yards per game last season (239.2).
Johnson is back for another season with the Bears and is ready for a bounce-back year. He went to the podium at training camp recently and made a statement about the offense that fans have known for a while.
The cornerback said that this year's offense was the best he's seen in his seven-year career with the Bears.
With that being said, let's take a look at the offenses that Johnson has been a part of. Starting at the beginning, Johnson joined the franchise in 2020 when Matt Nagy was the head coach.
Chicago had the 25th-ranked rushing offense, 22nd-ranked passing offense, and was 22nd in points per game.
Things did improve in 2021, but really just in the running game. In Matt Nagy's last year, the Bears had the No. 14 rushing offense but were the No. 30 passing offense. Scoring was an issue, as the Bears were 27th in points per game.
Then along came Matt Eberflus in 2022.
To Eberflus' credit, the Bears had the top rushing attack in the league that season. Justin Fields had over 1,000 yards. David Montgomery had 801 rushing yards, with Khalil Herbert at 731.
The tradeoff was that the Bears had the worst passing offense in the NFL. They were also ranked 23rd in points per game.
The following year, the running game was consistent, but the other aspects of the offense were also consistently bad again. The Bears had the No. 2 rushing offense in 2023, but the passing attack ranked 27th.
Chicago ranked 18th in points per game that year.
In 2024, Eberflus' offense couldn't do anything consistently. The Bears had the No. 25 rushing offense, No. 31 passing offense, and were No. 28 in points per game.
Now, let's look at how much better things were in just one year under Ben Johnson. The Bears were ninth in points per game, had the third-best rushing offense, and were 10th in passing offense.
It's no contest. This is absolutely the best offense that the Pro Bowl corner has ever been associated with at the Bears.
Luckily for Chicago, the offense will mostly be the same again in 2026. D.J. Moore was traded, and depth pieces like Olamide Zaccheaus aren't around anymore at receiver, but nearly every position is returning the same starters.
The offensive line returns four of its five starters from last season, with left tackle being the odd man out after the Ozzy Trapilo injury. Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet are back at tight end.
The running game is still going to be led by D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
It's nice to play for a team whose offense can make things easier on the defense by putting up a lot of points.
Johnson definitely appreciates it.
Continue reading...
His career with the Bears has had its ups and downs.
Johnson was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Utah. After three years with the Bears, he finally got the recognition he deserved. He made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and 2024.
It's safe to say that the 2025 season was a down year for Johnson. He sustained a groin injury that knocked him out until Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
There was a noticeable difference in the secondary when Johnson wasn't healthy. The Bears allowed the 11th most passing yards per game last season (239.2).
Johnson is back for another season with the Bears and is ready for a bounce-back year. He went to the podium at training camp recently and made a statement about the offense that fans have known for a while.
The cornerback said that this year's offense was the best he's seen in his seven-year career with the Bears.
With that being said, let's take a look at the offenses that Johnson has been a part of. Starting at the beginning, Johnson joined the franchise in 2020 when Matt Nagy was the head coach.
Chicago had the 25th-ranked rushing offense, 22nd-ranked passing offense, and was 22nd in points per game.
Things did improve in 2021, but really just in the running game. In Matt Nagy's last year, the Bears had the No. 14 rushing offense but were the No. 30 passing offense. Scoring was an issue, as the Bears were 27th in points per game.
Then along came Matt Eberflus in 2022.
To Eberflus' credit, the Bears had the top rushing attack in the league that season. Justin Fields had over 1,000 yards. David Montgomery had 801 rushing yards, with Khalil Herbert at 731.
The tradeoff was that the Bears had the worst passing offense in the NFL. They were also ranked 23rd in points per game.
The following year, the running game was consistent, but the other aspects of the offense were also consistently bad again. The Bears had the No. 2 rushing offense in 2023, but the passing attack ranked 27th.
Chicago ranked 18th in points per game that year.
In 2024, Eberflus' offense couldn't do anything consistently. The Bears had the No. 25 rushing offense, No. 31 passing offense, and were No. 28 in points per game.
Now, let's look at how much better things were in just one year under Ben Johnson. The Bears were ninth in points per game, had the third-best rushing offense, and were 10th in passing offense.
It's no contest. This is absolutely the best offense that the Pro Bowl corner has ever been associated with at the Bears.
Luckily for Chicago, the offense will mostly be the same again in 2026. D.J. Moore was traded, and depth pieces like Olamide Zaccheaus aren't around anymore at receiver, but nearly every position is returning the same starters.
The offensive line returns four of its five starters from last season, with left tackle being the odd man out after the Ozzy Trapilo injury. Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet are back at tight end.
The running game is still going to be led by D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
It's nice to play for a team whose offense can make things easier on the defense by putting up a lot of points.
Johnson definitely appreciates it.
Continue reading...
