Latest news with #JaylonJohnson
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Poles: Jaylon Johnson is going to be out ‘a few weeks' with leg injury
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (WGN) — On day 1 of training camp at Halas Hall, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles announced it'll be a little bit before Jaylon Johnson is back in pads at full-strength. 'It is going to take a few weeks before he can come back. We got a lot of faith that he's going to put in time to rehab and be his full self when he comes back,' Poles said. 'I'm sure we'll have updates as we go through training camp, but it's going to take a little bit of time, but [we're] not overly concerned about long term.' The Bears placed Johnson and three other players (QB Case Keenum, WR Jahdae Walker and RB Ian Wheeler) on the Active/Non-Football Injury (NFI) List Friday, July 19. Keenum was on the NFI list for about 24 hours before he was placed back on the active roster. Poles said Walker and Wheeler were both reactivated Tuesday afternoon. Johnson has made back-to-back Pro Bowls and played in 31 of 34 possible games going back to the beginning of the 2023 NFL regular season. He missed Weeks 4 and 5 in 2023 due to a hamstring injury, and was inactive for Week 17 of the same season against the Green Bay Packers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bears' Ryan Poles reveals jarring injury update on Jaylon Johnson
The Chicago Bears have been widely regarded as one of the biggest winners of this offseason. The front office, led by general manager Ryan Poles, has given quarterback Caleb Williams a formidable supporting cast while hiring former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as head coach. It's not going to be easy for Chicago, which has, on paper, one of the most demanding schedules in the NFL, but the vibes are high so far in training camp. Poles, however, did give an eye-opening update on an offseason leg injury suffered by one of the Bears most important defenders, Jaylon Johnson. senior writer Larry Mayer revealed Poles' statement on the two-time Pro Bowler's health status after Day 1 of training camp. "It is going to take a few weeks before he can come back," Poles said. "We've got a lot of faith that he's going to put in the time to rehab and be his full self when he comes back. It's going to take a little bit of time, but (I'm) not overly concerned about long-term." The Bears will open up the season with two divisional clashes against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, with the opening matchup taking place on Monday Night Football. Those two games will go a long way toward indicating whether the hype built over this offseason is real or if this roster is far from contending for a playoff spot. Getting Johnson to 100% by September 8 is one of top priorities for this franchise as it heads into one of its most anticipated seasons of the past decade. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp More NFL:
CBS News
9 hours ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Bears' full squad arrives at Halas Hall ahead of training camp
The full squad arrived at Halas Hall for Bears Training Camp Tuesday ahead of the first practice on Wednesday. Jaylon Johnson came to Halas Hall too, but the pro Bowl cornerback will miss a couple of weeks of practice after suffering a leg injury while training on his own. As veterans report to Halas Hall, players are already saying there is a sense of urgency before their first practice on Wednesday. But new head coach Ben Johnson knows his first training camp as a head coach will include twists and turns, and learning curves for all. "There's going to be bumps, there's going to be ups, there's going to be downs. It's easy to have bad day or two, and go ahead and be all panicky. That's not going to be us. It's going to be a little bit more of [a curve], but there's certain benchmarks along the way," Johnson said. "The first couple weeks is going to be a big installation, so the guys are going to be thinking. Mistakes are going to be made." Quarterback Caleb Williams is headed into his second year with clear goals, including to be the franchise's first 4,000-yard passer, and to complete 70% of his passes while learning under the new offensive head coach. "It's been growing. It's been awesome. You know, we're having fun. You know, he gets on me, and it's greatly appreciated that he does — being tough on me, and realizing and understanding that nobody is above anybody — all of us are one," said Williams. "That's how we're going to march this season." Also Tuesday, Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Braxton Jones and rookie tight end Colston Loveland are healthy to start camp, but they will go through a ramp up period.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Takeaways from Ryan Poles, Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears before training camp begins
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Chicago Bears are back, and they start tomorrow. On the precipice of a new training camp, the Bears' leaders and some players took to the podium to discuss what's next and what's to come. Here's what we learned from Ryan Poles, Ben Johnson and the Bears on report day as training camp officially opens on Wednesday. Injury update One of the surprises on Saturday was how Bears' defensive back Jaylon Johnson was added to the team's non-football injury list. Poles addressed that on Tuesday. "It's going to take a few weeks before he can come back," Poles said on Johnson's injury. "We got a lot of faith that he can be his whole self when he comes back." Poles said Johnson suffered a leg injury that he suffered while training in the offseason. The other players who were put on the NFI list on Saturday – Case Keenum, Ian Wheeler and Jahdae Walker – were off the list by Tuesday afternoon. Johnson's status on the Bears' NFI list is something to monitor, but the team didn't seem too concerned about his status going forward for training camp and beyond. "I'm sure we'll have updates as we go through training camp," Poles said. "But it's going to take a little bit of time." How to stand out Johnson might be conducting his first training camp as a head coach, but he was straight forward in what he wanted to see in the next six weeks. If the Bears are going to stand out, they'll need to do it on the field. "What we're looking for: it's dependability, it's consistency," Johnson said. "It's production on a day-in and day-out basis." The Bears have plenty to figure out in camp – namely, who's starting at left tackle – but it all leads to finding a starting lineup the Bears will have put on the field in Week 1 against the Vikings on Monday Night Football. To get there, the Bears will have to show it on the field. For example, the Bears' left tackle race is between Braxton Jones, Kiran Amegadije and Ozzy Trapilo. Trapilo took plenty of snaps in OTAs and minicamp. Jones is the returning starter, but is still recovering from ankle surgery. Amegadije has a whole season under his belt as a pro. None of the past matters as the Bears start with a blank slate. "Just because the guy's played and another guy hasn't in this league, we're going to let the competition play out and see where it goes," Johnson said, There were plenty of players that struggled to stay on the camp field last offseason. Injuries happen, but that's also why the Bears deepened the roster. The message is sent loud and clear: If a player isn't consistently available, they're not promised a job. "There's a lot of excitement around the program and I think rightfully so," Johnson said. "There's a lot of talent on the roster. Looking forward to seeing what leaders come out of the locker room and really lead the charge here for us." Leadership impact There's no question the Bears needed louder voices in the locker room. Last season, players admitted the coaching staff didn't coach the team as hard as they should have and the team struggled as voices never consistently materialized to lead the team out of a 10-game losing streak. Enter: defensive lineman Grady Jarrett. Jarrett was a fixture in Atlanta for 10 seasons. Season 11 will be in Chicago, where he'll impart wisdom on a Bears' defensive line that includes rookie second-round pick Shemar Turner, third-year defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. and free-agent signee Dayo Odeynigbo. If those players want to keep up with Jarrett, they'll have to come to camp ready. Or else Jarrett will leave them well behind. "There is no ramping-up period," Jarrett said when asked about a camp ramp-up period to prepare for camp. "You go balls to the wall everyday." Some players might not need that level of fire Jarrett brings, like Montez Sweat. The Bears' premiere edge rusher has always marched to his own set tone, and gets paid to do exactly that. He'll undoubtedly benefit from playing next to Jarrett. But, Jarrett's presence will be a perfect example for some of the Bears players that are looking to take the next step. Jarrett made it clear he's going to make camp challenging if those around him aren't ready. "We should make this the hardest point of the season," Jarrett said.
USA Today
15 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
9 takeaways from report day at Bears training camp
The Chicago Bears are finally back at Halas Hall for the start of training camp, which is gearing up to be an exciting summer. With the Bears reporting for training camp on Tuesday, general manager Ryan Poles, head coach Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett all took time to meet with the media and field questions before practice begins Wednesday morning. There were plenty of notable updates from Poles and Johnson, including regarding injuries to key players like cornerback Jaylon Johnson, tight end Colston Loveland and left tackle Braxton Jones, as well as some new faces signed to the roster among other headlines. As the Bears prepare for their first practice, here what we learned from report day: Jaylon Johnson will miss a few weeks with leg injury Chicago placed Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson on the Non-Football Injury list before training camp, and it sounds like he'll be out longer than expected. Bears general manager Ryan Poles said that Johnson suffered a leg injury while training this summer. He will be out for the next few weeks before returning to the practice field. Poles said the team isn't "overly concerned" about any long-term issues impacting Johnson's return. Bears announced signings of CB Tre Flowers, DE Tanoh Kpassagnon The Bears announced some roster moves ahead of their first training camp practice, which included signing a pair of veterans in cornerback Tre Flowers and defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon. The Flowers addition comes as no surprise with Jaylon Johnson expected to be sidelined a few weeks with a leg injury. Meanwhile, there's some familiarity with Kpassagnon, who played for new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in New Orleans. Colston Loveland, Braxton Jones are ramping up While the Bears will be without star cornerback Jaylon Johnson for a few weeks, they did receive some good news about rookie tight end Colston Loveland and veteran left tackle Braxton Jones, who have both been cleared for training camp. General manager Ryan Poles revealed both Loveland and Jones will have ramp up periods as they return to the practice field. Chicago will hold their first practice, which is closed to the public, on Wednesday morning. Ben Johnson still evaluating run game scheme New Bears head coach Ben Johnson is highly regarded as one of the NFL's brightest offensive minds, which is a big reason why he's in Chicago. But he's made it clear not to expect a replica of what he did with the Detroit Lions. In fact, the offense is still a work in progress. Johnson told reporters he's still evaluating which schemes he'll lean into this season. 'I don't know if we're going to be a wide zone team up front," he said. "I don't know if we're going to be a gap team." Johnson should get a better sense once the pads come on a week or so into training camp. It's an open competition for left tackle The Bears will have a number of position battles to monitor at training camp this summer, but none is bigger than the competition at left tackle between Braxton Jones, rookie Ozzy Trapilo and second-year pro Kiran Amegadjie. With Jones being nearly full-go (he'll ramp up to start camp), you would assume that he has the upper hand in the battle. But Ben Johnson said everyone has a "fair shot" at winning the starting left tackle job. Trapilo and Amegadjie had been rotating with the starting offense during OTAs and minicamp. We'll see how that continues once Jones returns. "We're gonna let the competition play out, and we'll see where it goes," Johnson said. Ben Johnson's goal for Caleb Williams in 2025 There are high expectations surrounding second-year quarterback Caleb Williams in his first season with offensive guru Ben Johnson. While Johnson isn't setting completion percentage goals for training camp, he did reveal his goal is for Williams to complete 70% of his passes during the 2025 season. "It's a lofty goal, but it's one we're going to strive for," Johnson said. Last season, Williams completed 62.5% of his passes as a rookie in what was a dysfunctional offense that saw three different offensive coordinators and arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL. With the improvements made this offseason, that goal should certainly be attainable for Williams. For what it's worth, Jared Goff completed over 70% of his passes (72.4%) for the first time in his career just last season. Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson building strong connection The bond between head coach and quarterback is an important one, and it's going to be instrumental for the future success of the Bears. Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams were asked about their growing connection, and it's clear they're building a strong connection even just a few months into the process. Johnson said the pair shared several phone calls this offseason as they continue to build their relationship. "We're in a great place," Johnson said. "He wants to get coached hard, and we're going to push him as hard as we can and do what's right for the team." As for Williams, he's loving the way Johnson is pushing to get the best out of him. 'It's been growing, it's been awesome," Williams said. "He gets on me and it's greatly appreciated that he does.' How Grady Jarrett plans to help prepare Caleb Williams Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett is about to kick off his first training camp not with the Atlanta Falcons, where he comes to the Bears as a veteran force along the defensive interior and a leader for the team. When asked specifically about how he can help second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, he said he wants to give Williams "big brother love" while also pushing him to get better every day. That includes sometimes ruffling his feathers to help prepare him for what he'll see on the field. 'Sometimes you gotta talk a little mess to him," Jarrett said, "…so by the time the game come, nothing gonna phase him.' Caleb Williams sets lofty goals for Year 2 While quarterback Caleb Williams is only entering his second season, there's already a ton of pressure coming from the outside. The Bears focused on building around Williams this offseason, including hiring Ben Johnson as head coach, revamping the interior offensive line and adding even more weapons to his arsenal. Now, the young signal-caller is setting some lofty goals for himself in Year 2, which includes becoming the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history, compete 70% of his passes (which Johnson challenged him to do), score as much as he can and win football games. Bears fantasy owners, take note.
