Chicago Bears DC Dennis Allen’s immediate reaction to Jaylon Johnson injury

When Chicago Bears training camp opened, it was revealed that cornerback Jaylon Johnson is dealing with a multi-week leg injury. As defensive coordinator Dennis Allen builds out his new defense, he won’t have arguably Chicago’s best defensive player to work with.

Still, general manager Ryan Poles expressed optimism that Johnson’s injury wouldn’t be a long-term issue. The Bears are counting on it, as the cornerback is expected to follow any opposing team’s top receiving threat. Simply put Johnson is a key cog in  the Bears’ defense.

Luckily for the cornerback, Allen is now echoing Poles’ message. While the Bears will need to be patient for Johnson’s return to the field, Allen is expecting that to come sooner rather than later, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I feel good about him being ready when his body’s ready to go,” Allen said.

#Bears DC Dennis Allen on Jaylon Johnson: “I feel good about him being ready when his body’s ready to go.”

— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) July 23, 2025

Chicago Bears relying on Jaylon Johnson 

With Johnson out, the Bears turned to Nahshon Wright in the first unit, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. Wright signed a one-year deal with Chicago over the offseason and is coming to the Windy City with 33 games of NFL experience. But in Wright or any cornerback, the Bears would be hard pressed to find a talent as strong as Johnson.

Since joining the Bears in 2020, the cornerback has made 214 tackles, 49 pass break ups and seven interceptions. He is coming off of his second-straight Pro Bowl appearance after registering a career-high 53 tackles alongside eight pass break ups and two picks. Johnson’s 76.2 grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 20/222 cornerbacks.

Allen runs an aggressive, attacking defense. That should benefit Johnson, will be given opportunities to show how strong he can be. If he continues to operate at a Pro Bowl level while being a menace against the league’s best, no one in the NFL world will be questioning where Johnson stands.

But the first step is getting back on the field. Poles confirmed that there will be more updates as training camp progresses. While Allen didn’t put a timeline on Johnson’s return, his optimism is at least a good sign for the cornerback’s long-term outlook.