⚡ LATEST UPDATE: Jaylon Johnson transitions into a new defensive role that challenges his identity as a pure lockdown corner ⚡. DH

Over the past few seasons, if the Bears went up against a team with a wide receiver threat they put the assignment in the hands of cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

They’ll run up against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, after Christian Watson torched them for two long touchdowns in the first game between the teams. However, it’s going to need to be a group effort shutting anyone down.

Johnson isn’t himself yet after 10 games away following core muscle surgery, and he freely admits it.

“For me, I’ve been playing for a long time so I really just need more reps at it and  with the injury I have, it’s one of those where you have to keep stretching it and stretching it out. And then it’ll get stronger as time goes on,” Johnson said. “So for myself, all I need is more time, more reps and especially in the game it’s a little bit more reactionary vs. kind of just doing individual drills on the side, that’s not something that’s stressful on my body.

“So just really continuing to push myself in practice and in the weight room and the training room and whatever I can do to just strengthen my core.”

Johnson sought to better express how he’s feeling compared to when he was at his peak. It’s not like he could have been expected to come right onto the field and be the player he had been.

“I want to say really, it’s just hard,” Johnson said. “I mean, you know your body. I  think for me, it’s just certain movements don’t feel like they used to feel. And really just that comfort again.

“I didn’t have (training) camp, I didn’t have too many opportunities. So you get  thrown in a fire, and it’s kind of trying to find yourself when it counts. And it’s like, just for me, just trying to calm my mind and really just trust my body and keep strengthening my body throughout the week.”

The offseason work players do conditioning on their own, the work in OTAs,  training camp—all of them matter. No one walks in off the street, particularly after a surgery, and plays themself into shape in a week.

Johnson has improved each of his three games, according to Pro Football Focus grades. They gave him a 64.3 grade with one completion allowed for 47 yards on Sunday, as he split time with Tyrique Stevenson. In his second game his grade was at 54.6 and at 47.4 in the first game back.

The interception he made last week on a deep ball to Jerry Jeudy at the  goal line did look like 2024 Jaylon Johnson, except for the celebration. He was rather subdued for such an exciting play.

“An interception is cool, but I just want to get back to just really being  myself,” Johnson said. “I’m taking the right step, and I’m getting closer, but in that moment it’s just like all right, whatever, I’ll take it. But I just want to get back to being dominant.”

Johnson doesn’t mind splitting reps with Stevenson while Nahshon Wright is at the other cornerback spot as a result of his condition.

“I mean, I’ve been doing this since I got back out,” he said. “It’s not something I would say (I’m) used to, but I’m just really letting that benefit my body right now.

“It’s important for me to continue to go do that, and then we’ll see what these upcoming weeks look like as far as my workload.”

What Johnson is a little more positive about is the winning feeling. It’s his first time playing on a winning team. In his rookie year, they made the playoffs but were an 8-8 team in the regular season and lost a playoff game. And he didn’t even play in the postseason due to an injury.

“I mean, it’s a great feeling. To just have motivation behind playing and not just  playing,” Johnson said.

Part of that means trying to beat the Packers Saturday in Chicago for the  first time since he became a Bears player in 2020.

“For us, it’s really a step up,” Johnson said. “I think it’s a really big game for us. I think we have a lot at stake. So not just, again, competing for ourselves individually, but we know what we’ve got for a team ahead of us.

“So we’re just trying to be locked in and do whatever we need to do throughout this week so (we’ll) be at our best when it’s time to go.”