💥 BREAKING NEWS: Jaylon Johnson’s return sparks hope, but the real mystery is which Bears matchup could decide everything ⚡. DH

One Bears DB says Jaylon Johnson will probably return Friday, but the Eagles receiver corps they’ll work against is hardly as clear cut.

The likelihood of cornerback Jaylon Johnson returning seemed high already and then teammate C.J. Gardner-Johnson blew the lid off of any uncertainty.

The real question now is who the Bears secondary will actually be guarding.

Reporters cornered Gardner-Johnson Wednesday and he seemed to spill the beans on Johnson’s return, although the Bears’ two-time Pro Bowl cornerback still hasn’t been activated from IR.

“He’s been one of the best corners in the league,” Gardner-Johnson said. “I just feel like now, he’ll probably get a chance to actually show that, with him being active this week against a great receiving corps.

“I’m excited for him because everybody I ask always says, you know, what can you do against a great receiving corps, and you’ve got a chance to prove it.”

This wasn’t confirmed by the Bears yet, and Johnson isn’t allowed to talk about it because he is still on IR. And talk can be cheap. Kyler Gordon led everyone to believe he was returning earlier this season from an injury, but then he missed the game. But Johnson has been back practicing in a 21-day window since Nov. 14, so his return looked imminent.

Coach Ben Johnson confirmed nothing except the fact they have a plan in place and won’t put them on the field until they’re ready.

“I mean, I just I go back to the moment we started practicing them,” Ben Johnson said. “It was with the big picture in mind. How do we acclimate them, make sure that we’re putting them in a good spot? So throughout the course of the weeks of practice, we’ve been able to slowly increase the rep count there, and then, yeah, we’ll be very mindful of that when we do get them up and going in a game.

“Just, we don’t want to throw them into the wolves or put them in a bad spot. So yeah, that’s all been talked about, and we have a plan for it.”

The Bears could have Gordon back, as well, but whether the receiver corps they face is at full strength is uncertain.

Not only did Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith miss another practice Wednesday with a shoulder injury, but he now is ill. The Eagles’ leading receiver this year hasn’t practiced this week. There is no practice Thursday but there will be another injury report then.

No DeVonta Smith?

Smith has 55 catches for 754 yards with three touchdowns. A.J Brown has been their top receiver in the past but has only 567 yards on 46 receptions, with four TDs.

“A.J.’s still that guy,” said Bears safety Kevin Byard, a former teammate of Brown’s back in Tennessee. “I spent four years with him, just watching him on film. He’s very, very talented.

“But to be … honestly, if you watch the film, Smitty’s been the guy, that I think Jalen Hurts probably has the most chemistry with receiver-wise. He’s making plays down the field, he’s finding him in the slot option routes on third down. I think he’s kind of going to Smitty first.”

An injury to Brown might have hampered him, but it was a while ago. He missed the Oct. 26 game with the Giants. However, Brown came through last week against Dallas big time with eight catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. He had seven catches in the previous game.

“I think if we can eliminate those big plays down the field that’d be good,” Byard said.

Facing teams with backup players in the secondary hasn’t caused a lack of confidence for the Bears.

“Our stats haven’t been great on defense, but we’re finding ways to win,” Byard said.

“Whether it’s creating takeaways, getting off the field on third downs and stuff like that, stats are something that we can all look at and judge but at the end of the day, they’re finding ways to win and I think that’s just the testament of their culture and our culture.  It’s definitely going to be a challenge for us. Just culture against culture. Whose culture’s better?”

It never hurts to have No. 1 on defense starting in that case, even if the No. 1 receiver for the opponent misses the game.