The Chicago Bears are bracing to spend the rest of the 2025 season without top cornerback Jaylon Johnson after he re-aggravated his groin injury in Week 2.
According to Fox Sports insider Jordan Schultz, Johnson will “likely” miss the rest of the 2025 regular season with the groin injury that knocked him out of Sunday’s 52-21 loss to the Detroit Lions in the second quarter. Johnson’s injury will require surgery.
I’m told there is an outside chance he could return late if Chicago is in contention, but for now, it’s a devastating loss for the Bears‘ defense,” Schultz wrote Monday on X.
I’m told there is an outside chance he could return late if Chicago is in contention, but for now it’s a devastating loss for the Bears’
Earlier Monday, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin and Adam Schefter reported that Johnson would be “out indefinitely” for the Bears after re-aggravating his previous groin injury while breaking up a pass in the second quarter of Sunday’s game. Johnson missed all of training camp and the team’s season opener with his injury before returning in Week 2.
Given the extent of Johnson’s injury, the Bears will likely place him on injured reserve.
The Bears are currently dealing with multiple injuries to their starting defense. They did not have slot cornerback Kyler Gordon available for a second straight game on Sunday due to a hamstring injury he sustained late in camp, starting Nick McCloud in his place.
Veteran linebacker T.J. Edwards also exited early from Sunday’s loss with a hamstring injury, an indication that he, like Johnson, might have reaggravated a previous injury. Edwards missed some of camp and the Bears‘ season opener with a hamstring injury.
Nahshon Wright Will Likely Start in Johnson’s Place
With Johnson potentially out for the rest of the season, Nahshon Wright is the likely candidate to take over for Johnson as one of the Bears’ starting outside cornerbacks.
Wright took a 74-yard interception to the house for a touchdown in Week 1’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings and earned a top-10 coverage grade (78.0) from Pro Football Focus for his efforts, but he was also flagged 42 yards for a costly pass interference that put the Vikings in scoring position and helped them pull off their fourth-quarter rally.
Wright had a much rougher performance in Week 2’s blowout road loss, struggling to win his one-on-one matchups in coverage against a more versatile group of receivers. Lions quarterback Jared Goff had a field day, picking apart Wright and the rest of the Bears‘ secondary for 344 yards, five touchdowns and a near-perfect 156.0 passer rating.
The Bears will need better from the unit moving forward, especially with Johnson out.
Could Bears Sign or Trade for Another Veteran CB?
The Bears have taken hit after hit at the cornerback position since the start of camp.
Johnson has scarcely practiced since the team returned for training camp in late July. Gordon spent much of August nursing a hamstring injury that has held him out for the first two games of the regular season. The Bears also had to shut down 2023 fifth-round pick Terell Smith (knee) and fifth-round rookie Zah Fraizer (personal) for the season.
After the latest blow with Johnson, though, is it time for the Bears to seriously consider going out and finding some veteran help for their battered cornerback room?
According to Over the Cap, the Bears have roughly $9.8 million in available cap space, which gives them room to sign one of the still-available veteran cornerbacks on the free-agent market. A veteran like Stephon Gilmore, who had a solid run with the Vikings in 2024, could make sense for them. Mike Hilton is also a potential option for them.
The Bears could also explore the trade market, though they might prefer the free-agent route to avoid giving up significant draft capital for a patchwork cornerback.
Either way, the Bears will have until Sunday’s next game against the Dallas Cowboys to figure out whether their current cornerback room is fit to stand on its own.
Bears Get ‘Devastating’ Injury Update on CB Jaylon Johnson