Chicago Bears depth chart: Rookie Jaylon Johnson is starting CB
Rookie Jaylon Johnson will start at cornerback for the Chicago Bears this season.
On Monday, the Chicago Bears released their unofficial depth chart for Week 1 of the 2020 season. We now know for sure that Mitchell Trubisky will continue to start under center for the Bears, but it was a move on the defensive side of the ball that immediately stood out to this writer.
Rookie Jaylon Johnson will start at cornerback for the Chicago Bears this season. Johnson will start opposite of Kyle Fuller at corner and will likely remain outside in nickel situations.
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The Bears took Johnson in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft (50th overall) and it immediately stood out as a strong selection. Cornerback was an obvious position of need for the Bears over the offseason and Johnson was a fringe first-round prospect who was a nice value pick in the middle of the second round.
Impressive skill-set
Johnson is a long and athletic cornerback prospect who is tough and aggressive at the line of scrimmage. His press coverage ability is top-notch and he also has the quickness to maintain tight coverage throughout the route. Johnson also shows impressive natural ball skills and great instincts at the position.
In Fuller, the Bears already had one strong starting cornerback option on the outside, but their lack of depth at the position was painfully obvious. In Johnson, they find Fuller a capable long-term running-mate who has the skills needed to make an immediate impact at the next level. I am sure that we will see Johnson struggle through some growing pains as a rookie, but his overall ability in coverage should make him a rock-solid asset at the position for years to come.
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Seeing Johnson immediately take that starting cornerback spot and make it his is great to see. The Chicago Bears hope to get their defense back among the elites in the league this season and Johnson’s ability to shut down his man on a consistent basis will be an important part of that growth.