Chicago Bears beat reporter weighs in on Jaylon Johnson trade rumors amid rough start

After a brutal loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Bears are looking for answers. Offensively, it makes sense they’ve struggled without starting QB Caleb Williams.

Defensively, it’s been an entirely different issue. The Bears’ secondary had been improving from week to week; that was until last Sunday. Jordan Love threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were long 40+ yard touchdowns to Christian Watson.

It’s been an especially rough start for veteran cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

Johnson’s play has regressed year after year since his All-Pro season in 2023. His completion percentage has drastically changed over the years, and on film, he’s noticeably gotten slower.

Jaylon Johnson’s completion percentage allowed by year.

2020: 56.4%
2021: 59.7%
2022: 58.8%
2023: 55.2%
2024: 66.1%
2025: 72.7%
2026: 83.3%*

He’s been trending down for quite some time but this is as bad as it gets.

— Brendan Sugrue (@BrendanSugrue) October 12, 2026

During Sunday’s loss, he was beaten multiple times by Watson and Golden. For someone who was once the cornerstone of the Bears’ secondary, his drop-off has been obvious at the beginning of this season.

With Kyler Gordon expected to be back any week now, the back half could get better. Rookie Malik Muhammad has been solid in his first few games, but Gordon will bring more big-play ability and veteran leadership. The injury to Tyrique Stevenson doesn’t help either.

If he has any value, could the Chicago Bears trade Jaylon Johnson?

The thought of trading your “best” corner as a contender is alarming, but Jaylon Johnson isn’t producing at a good enough rate. It’s certainly raised some questions within the fanbase.

If they were to trade for anyone, it would likely be a defensive end. After the suspension of Montez Sweat, the organization is likely looking towards other avenues, even though it’s a short-term issue.

Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, who covers the Chicago Bears, was asked this question in his weekly mailbag. Biggs doesn’t see the Bears moving on from him, as the corner market isn’t exactly booming at the moment.

“Trade Johnson and then who plays? Rookie Malik Muhammad II can’t play more than one spot at a time, and he could be forced into action on the outside with Tyrique Stevenson (hamstring) injured. The Bears haven’t even put undersized cornerback Clark Phillips III on the field for defense to this point. He has played 14 snaps on special teams.”

Phillips III was acquired in the Gervon Dexter trade and has yet to make any impact on the field. Dexter, on the other hand, is having his best season to date through the first five games. A puzzling move from GM Ryan Poles, but the Bears were never going to pay him.

Biggs went on to address the possibility of Johnson being cut, either this season or next.

“Before the Bears get there, they need to hope Johnson can be a little better because they need him over the remainder of the season. I’m not sure you want to see what happens if the defense has to go further down the depth chart at cornerback. I’d add there isn’t a whole lot of quality experience available at the cornerback store right now. Most of the guys on the shelf are broken down and can’t run.”

As the season continues to progress, it wouldn’t be impossible to see him moved. If his play doesn’t improve, the market for him won’t be big, especially with his contract. If he plays better, the Bears will likely keep him on, at least for this season.

More Chicago Bears: Defensive end Montez Sweat suspended by the NFL after failing drug test

The post Chicago Bears beat reporter weighs in on Jaylon Johnson trade rumors amid rough start appeared first on ChiCitySports.