Bears GM speaks out after celebrity goes down with damage

Johnson was positioned on the non-football damage record when veterans reported to Chicago for camp. He suffered the damage throughout offseason coaching, in response to Bears normal supervisor Ryan Poles.

Johnson is coming off his second consecutive Professional Bowl and is headed into the second yr of a four-year, $76 million deal. He has handled numerous accidents over his profession, enjoying not more than 15 video games in a season over the primary 4 years of his profession. In 2024, he performed a full season for the primary time, beginning all 17 video games with a career-high 1,032 snaps.

An prolonged absence into the common season would power Chicago to seek out one other beginning cornerback amongst their veteran depth, however Poles stated that the crew is just not “overly involved” a couple of long-term damage.

“We’ve obtained plenty of religion that he’s going to place within the time to rehab and be his full self when he comes again,” stated Poles on Tuesday.

2023 fifth-rounder Terell Smith will seemingly step right into a first-team function in Johnson’s absence. Chicago largely relied on a cornerback trio of Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon final yr; Smith is the one remaining defensive again on the roster who performed a minimum of 150 snaps on the boundary for the Bears in 2024, in response to Professional Soccer Focus.

Offseason signings Nick McCloud and Tre Flowers may see a bump in reps over the approaching weeks as Johnson rehabs his leg along with his eyes on returning for the Bears’ Week 1 opener in opposition to the Vikings.