Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has been floated in NFL trade rumors heavily in the days leading up to the Oct. 31 deadline. Now, the Bears are reportedly moving forward on Tuesday with the idea of potentially trading their top defender.
Johnson, age 24, has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFC this season. Selected with the 50th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the former Utah Utes standout has demonstrated he can be a high-end starter on the outside who lines up in man coverage against No. 1 receivers.
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While Chicago has one of the worst defenses in football for the second consecutive year, Johnson likely isn’t in the team’s long-term plans. For as much as the Bears want to keep their top defensive back, his expiring contract and the cost of rising salaries for the highest-paid NFL cornerbacks have forced Chicago to explore a potential trade.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Monday night that Johnson formally requested a trade out of Chicago. The Bears’ front office attempted to sign the standout cornerback to a contract extension, but the two sides never made any tangible progress last week.
Chicago is very willing to move Johnson at the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Bears informed Johnson his agent is allowed to begin discussions with other teams. Chris Ellison, Johnson’s agent, now has less than 15 hours to try and find him a new home.
With Johnson now available, following previous Bears trade rumors suggesting he would stay in Chicago, his trade market should ramp up quickly. Considering the absence of high-end cornerbacks on the trade market, the Bears should have success receiving quality offers on Tuesday.
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Jaylon Johnson immediately becomes one of the best players available at the NFL trade deadline. Entering NFL games today, Johnson is credited with allowing just a 37.3 QB rating in coverage on 26 targets thrown in his direction (PFF). Furthermore, Pro Football Reference tracks him as allowing just a 47.8 percent completion rate in coverage this season.
Simply put, Johnson is the caliber of player who would be the missing piece for a defense and could potentially put them over the top.