Jaylon Johnson was the Bears’ clear bright spot in an otherwise rough joint practice against the Bengals on Thursday, and he left Ja’Marr Chase frustrated enough that the star receiver was described as “fuming.”
Chicago’s day didn’t go smoothly. Caleb Williams threw three interceptions and was sacked twice late, while Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence gave the Bears quarterback a difficult time.
But Johnson made his own statement in the matchup with Chase, with Patrick Finley of The Chicago Sun-Times reporting that the cornerback gave the Bengals receiver a serious challenge. Afterward, Chase had plenty of respect for him.
‘‘Real good corner,’’ Chase said. ‘‘Pretty aggressive on a couple of plays.’’
He quickly followed that by downplaying the level of contact.
‘‘I get jumped every day,’’ Chase said. ‘‘I get jumped for a living.
I’ve gotten many yards [after] getting jumped at the line. That’s not aggressive.’’
Johnson’s performance came as he continues to work back from a difficult 2023 season. Last year, he played in seven games while dealing with a string of groin injuries.
He finished with 17 total tackles, including 15 solo stops, along with two passes defended and one interception. In the postseason, he added six tackles, five of them solo, and broke up two passes.
He’s also been drawing notice throughout training camp. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said Wednesday, ‘‘I’ve seen improvement out of Jaylon,’’ defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said Wednesday.
‘‘I’ve seen some flashes that say, ‘Man, he’s looking a little bit more like what you expected him to look [like].’ ’’
Chase, meanwhile, remains one of the league’s most dangerous receivers. He finished with 125 catches for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns last season, then won the “Triple Crown” in 2024 by leading the NFL in receptions with 127, receiving yards with 1,708, and receiving touchdowns with 17.
The Bears and Bengals will meet again in a preseason game on Saturday at 6:00 pm CST/7:00 pm EST.
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