Chicago Bears rookie sends blunt message to Jaylon Johnson: “He knows he gotta get better”

As Week 9 inches closer, the Chicago Bears will look to move to 7-2 when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night.

It’s a long season, but so far, the Bears look like one of the better teams in the NFL. Their offense is led by third-year QB Caleb Williams, who seems to be a perfect fit for Ben Johnson’s offense. The Bears have yet to trail in a game since he returned from injury in Week 6.

Defensively, they are led by the new addition, Jeffery Simmons, whom the Bears traded for a week ago. The defensive line has been solid thus far, as has the linebacker corps, especially in the last few weeks. The secondary, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.

Veteran cornerback Jaylon Johnson has had a rough start to his 2026-27 campaign. On tape, he looks to have lost a step. Per Pro Football Focus, Johnson ranks 96th out of 103 cornerbacks with an overall grade of 40.9. His overall coverage grade is even worse, sitting at 36.8, which is 98th out of 103.

No matter what your thoughts on PFF are, it’s not hard to tell that Johnson has regressed.

Chicago Bears rookie DB Malik Muhammad calls out Jaylon Johnson

Jaylon Johnson has been the victim of scrutiny on social media since the season began. He’s been beat over the top multiple times, has failed to make any impact plays, and just looks like a lesser version of himself. The other cornerbacks on the roster have had to carry the load, such as nickel back Kyler Gordon and rookie Malik Muhammad.

Muhammad was drafted in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL draft and has looked like a steal up to this point. The former Texas Longhorn has one INT and 5 pass deflections through 7 games. He’s been a nice fit in Dennis Allen’s defense. Muhammad called out Johnson in a recent interview with Fox Chicago, stating that Johnson knows he needs to play better.

“He always stays with a positive mindset. He’s always asking questions, seeing how he has to get better. But man, people don’t know, the cornerback position is super hard. It’s one of the hardest positions. I’m not giving him an out or anything; obviously he knows he gotta play better; we all know he gotta play better. He’s been in this league for a long time.”

“He knows he gotta get better, we all know he gotta play better.”

Got to chat with Malik Muhammad about the #Bears defense and veteran CB Jaylon Johnson’s play so far this season and I thought he had a great answer. pic.twitter.com/gNhSGtY2BI

— Devan Kaney (@Devan_Kaney) November 5, 2026

While Muhammad did acknowledge the fact that Johnson needs to improve, he let fans know how hard it is to be a cornerback in the NFL. It’s especially true now with all of the penalties that get called in a more offensive league.

It’s a good sign to hear a rookie say things like this. He’s not afraid to hold his teammates accountable, even veterans like Johnson. It’ll be interesting to see how Jaylon responds in the coming weeks.

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