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After winning a division title for the first time since 2018 last season and a playoff game for the first time since 2010, the Chicago Bears will look to repeat that success this year. It will be a big challenge in a loaded NFC North, with plenty of detractors to be found, but optimism is generally high.
Super Bowl dreams for the Bears this year may seem unrealistic or premature for some, but being anywhere in that type of conversation is something. Ben Johnson has quickly put things on a credibly sustainable track, which had been elusive in Chicago for far too long.
Several Bears players will be pivotal to the Bears' success this season. With that in mind, Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus was sure to put a Bear among his 10 make-or-break players for contending teams in 2026.
The one he chose might be surprising, even with Caleb Williams eliminated by not including quarterbacks on the list, but it really shouldn't be.
"CB , Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears"
"Johnson was once regarded as one of the premier cornerbacks in football, but his stock has only fallen since. He’ll need to regain form to help the Bears beef up their questionable defense."
"After leading qualified corners with a 90.3 overall PFF grade in 2023, Johnson has only seen that number decline. The low came in 2025, when Johnson graded at only a 58.7 across just 406 snaps due to a lingering groin problem. While Johnson wasn’t targeted much due to his elite profile, he surrendered catches on 61.5% of his targets. Further, Johnson was susceptible to big plays, allowing a league-high 18.6 yards per reception."
"The Bears added multiple secondary contributors this offseason in Coby Bryant, Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad. Nevertheless, the team is counting on Johnson to return to lockdown form, especially given its inconsistent health in the corner room. If Johnson looks like an All-Pro, he’ll help Chicago offset regression concerns — but if he’s poor yet again, the team’s defense might not improve from below-average."
"Lingering groin problem" is a vast underestimation of Johnson's injury, which started with tearing an adductor muscle off the pelvic bone. It also wouldn't be the first time PFF disregarded the injury as a significant factor in how poorly he performed last season.
That being said...
Jaylon Johnson has to step up big time this season
Johnson gets an injury-driven mulligan for a 2025 season where he was literally never fully healthy. That he even returned to action after undergoing core muscle surgery was something, but that injury excuse is gone now, barring an unforeseen development when training camp starts.
Johnson knows what's at stake for him this season, as he eyes re-entering the conversation among the NFL's best cornerbacks. The Bears' proficiency in forcing turnovers last season is ripe for regression, so perimeter pass coverage has to be better.
Johnson has shown he can be a shutdown corner when healthy, so improvement in pass coverage starts with him. While re-taking his place among the league's best corners would push targets toward others, opposing offenses at least wouldn't be able to find profit in the passing game pretty much anywhere they want to.
Read more: Bears' guard Joe Thuney gets some more well-deserved acknowledgement
Any conversation about the most important players for the Bears this season automatically includes Johnson. Locker has made a case for him as the most important, all things considered, and it's hard to argue too hard with that sentiment.
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This article was originally published on beargoggleson.com as Player deemed most critical to Bears' success in 2026 is really no surprise.
