Chicago’s Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson will be out indefinitely with a groin injury the Bears announced on Monday.
Johnson exited his team’s lopsided 52-21 loss to Detroit on Sunday in the 2nd quarter and did not return. While groin injuries are commonplace in the NFL, Johnson could be out for an extended period of time given his previous injury history.
The 26 year old told reporters that he sustained a groin injury during offseason training, causing him to miss all of training camp and the preseason. It was later revealed that he tore his adductor off his pelvic bone, which caused him to miss all of his team’s activities during July and August.
Head coach Ben Johnson stopped short of diagnosing the injury when speaking to reporters, but did mention that he believes the star DB re-aggravated a previous ailment. At this point, Chicago’s medical team is conducting a barrage of additional testing, but surgery is believed to be very much on the table.
Detroit averaged 8.8 yards per play in their dismantling of Chicago, which is the most given up by a Bears defence since 1961. With Johnson out, things will only get tougher for a secondary that was already on the thin side to begin with.
Slot cornerback Kyler Gordon was ruled out before the game with a hamstring injury and hasn’t been practicing with the team for the last week. That thrust back up Nick McCloud into action at the nickel position instead, while Nahshon Wright took over starting duties for Johnson after he went down.
The loss of two starting defensive backs led to a field day through the air for the Lions who passed for 334 yards and 5 TDs.
Making matters worse, veteran linebacker T.J. Edwards was forced out of the game in the second half with a hamstring injury as well. Much like Johnson, Edwards appears to have re-aggravated a previous injury and could be on the sidelines for an extended period as well.
If Edwards isn’t able to go in Week 3, expect Noah Sewell to see increased usage for the suddenly beat up Bears defence against the Cowboys.
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