Bear Digest

Jaylon Johnson Continues to Reap Benefits of Strong 2023 Season

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has earned a spot among the Pro Football Focus top 50 players for 2024 after they graded him No. 1 at his position in 2023.

Gene Chamberlain

Jaylon Johnson steps in front of Jordan Addison for an interception in the Bears' 12-10 win last season at Minneapolis.
Jaylon Johnson steps in front of Jordan Addison for an interception in the Bears' 12-10 win last season at Minneapolis. / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
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Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has managed to set the bar up high.

It will be interesting to see if he can attain it again.

Johnson was named earlier as a top-50 player in the NFL on the 100 best players list of CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, at No. 34 overall.

Now the annual Pro Football Focus countdown has begun with their top 50 and Johnson comes in at No. 42 after he had been graded No. 1 in the NFL in 2023 at cornerback by the analytics website.

"Jaylon Johnson had a career year in 2023 and was arguably the best cornerback in the game," PFF's Sam Monson wrote. "His 91.0 PFF coverage grade was the top mark in football, and he allowed just a 33.3 passer rating into his coverage—a lower figure than if opposing quarterbacks had thrown the ball into the dirt 50 times instead."

PFF counts down by 10 at a time so there is no indication where this ranks Johnson among cornerbacks league-wide. There were no other cornerbacks or Bears players in this section of the countdown as Johnson is ratsed just behind second-year Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter at 41 and just ahead of Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown (43) and Texans tackle Laremy Tunsil (44).

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Johnson is rated ahead of Detroit center Frank Ragnow (47th), and both of the 49ers' key wide receiver weapons, Brandon Aiyuk (No. 49) and Deebo Samuel (No. 50).

On Prisco's list, the Bears had a few others in the top 100 but no one else in the top 50. Edge rusher Montez Sweat came in 73rd and wide receiver DJ Moore 84th.

Now, for Johnson, it's a matter of following up on success. Not only has he been ranked highly but he also received a $76 million contract and he'll need to live up to all of it.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.