The Jaylon Johnson comeback tour is officially underway.
Nothing announces the upcoming NFL season like ESPN’s annual top-10 series. Every year, NFL executives, coaches, and scouts are polled to rank the league’s best players position by position. Not only does this series usher in the return of tangible football talk, but it also offers a glimpse at how folks around the league have stacked up each position group.
One day after a look at the league’s running backs kicked off the 2026 series, we turn our attention to the cornerbacks. The Chicago Bears’ secondary looks like it could be a strength for a defense with a bunch of question marks in the trenches. And yet, it would be disingenuous to act as if everything were hunky-dory in the cornerbacks’ room. The Bears lost two Pro Bowlers and a four-year starter to free agency. Sure, they added a top-tier first-round pick (Dillon Thieneman) and a Super Bowl champ (Coby Bryant) to start at safety. But cornerback is still a position that gives me pause. But a healthy Jaylon Johnson could change that in a big way.
Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson. | Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn ImagesJaylon Johnson Misses ESPN’s Top 10 CB List
Jaylon Johnson didn’t generate enough votes to land in the 10 highest-ranked cornerbacks in ESPN’s polling. However, he did collect enough top-10 votes to earn Honorable Mention status. In other words, some in league circles participated in this poll and listed Johnson among the league’s 10 best cornerbacks. If I were Johnson, I’d be pinning this in my memory and using it as a motivational tool ahead of the 2026 NFL season.
This quote in the ESPN piece from an anonymous NFL personnel evaluator definitely has my attention:
“Time on task has been an issue. He missed a lot of camp and game action. But he’s young (27), so he should be able to get back to his top form. He’s got juice when he’s full tilt.”
A healthy Jaylon Johnson could be an absolute difference-maker in 2026. Heck, his mere presence during the stretch run, when Chicago’s secondary was banged up, was a welcome sight. No, Johnson wasn’t the player that he had been in the seasons leading up to the 2025 campaign. But that was due to an injury-riddled season. Frankly, it feels like a minor miracle that the Bears were able to get anything from a player who missed most of the offseason training program due to a groin injury and was limited to seven regular-season games due to undergoing core muscle surgery during the season.
For what it’s worth, minicamp reports about the Bears’ top returning cornerback were ridiculously encouraging. Johnson starred on Day 1 of the team’s mandatory minicamp practice sessions in June. And by the time things wrapped up, it was easy to feel better about Jaylon’s future given what was being reported by those who had a first-person look at the cornerback.
A new season provides a clean slate for players whose previous years were cut short by injury or were mired in poor play. The 2026 campaign will be no different, especially for Jaylon Johnson — a player with two Pro Bowls under his belt and an opportunity for more if he can stay healthy. If Johnson can play 15+ games, I am convinced he will show how much impact he can have on a defense that needs contributions from everyone. But staying healthy is easier said than done, so we’ll continue to monitor Johnson’s situation with great interest as we continue our march toward Week 1.
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