LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The last time the preseason hype was this strong, the Chicago Bears had just won the NFC North with the league’s top-ranked defense in 2018. The following season, those expectations were met with disappointment when the Bears stumbled to a third-place finish in the division with an 8-8 record.
Jaylon Johnson was drafted by Chicago one year later, in 2020, and has never been part of a team with a winning record during his tenure. As the Bears opened training camp with their first practice Saturday, the second-team All-Pro cornerback said the vibe around a team with heightened outside expectations doesn’t seem any different.
“I feel like I’ve been on some talented rosters to where we’ve had a lot of upside,” Johnson said. “I feel like for me it’s one of those things where I’m tired of just having upside and having potential. I want to be in a position where we actually go out there and we are that and not just what we’re projected to be at.”
ESPN Bet has the Bears over/under win total at 8.5, their highest win total projection since 2019 (9). Chicago went under its total of 7.5 last season when it finished with a 7-10 record and hasn’t reached nine or more wins in a season since 2018 (12-4).
The moves the Bears made this offseason, from drafting quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick to acquiring wide receiver Keenan Allen, running back D’Andre Swift and safety Kevin Byard, are largely responsible for the influx of expectations. General manager Ryan Poles projected that this year’s training camp will be the most competitive he’s ever seen, while wide receiver DJ Moore said this roster is the most talented he has ever been a part of.
After practice, Johnson said that instead of buying into the excitement, he’s more concerned about seeing the Bears meet their potential head-on.
“It’s about action at this point, so the projections, the energy, the enthusiasm all feels good in the beginning because everybody, every team, every fan [says], ‘Oh this is our year, this is our year,’ so I’m not on that type of time as far as, ‘Oh yeah, this is our year,'” Johnson said. “Nah, we got to go out here and we got to prove it and I think that starts with Day 1, starts with today. But that’s something that’s going to carry on from now until the end of the season whenever that is, if that’s playoffs or not.”