17 hours ago
Jaylon Johnson among 4 Chicago Bears on the non-football injury list as training camp nears
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson was one of four Chicago Bears players placed on the non-football injury list Saturday afternoon, a surprise twist as the team readies for training camp.
Other Bears given the NFI designation were backup quarterback Case Keenum, second-year running back Ian Wheeler and receiver Jahdae Walker, an undrafted rookie out of Texas A&M.
Johnson, the team's top cornerback, was by far the most significant name on the list with no immediate clarity on the specifics of his ailment.
Quarterbacks and rookies began checking in to Halas Hall on Saturday for training camp with the full team's reporting date coming Tuesday. The Bears' first practice is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Players with NFI status — designated as such due to an injury or illness that occurred away from official team activity — are ineligible to practice until cleared but still count against a team's 90-man roster limit. Players who remain on the NFI list after the league's final cutdown day at the end of the preseason are required to miss a minimum of four games.
Johnson, who signed a four-year, $76 million extension during the 2024 offseason, was not present for the entirety of the team's mandatory minicamp last month, with Bears coach Ben Johnson acknowledging his absence as 'excused.' (Jaylon Johnson's charity golf tournament was taking place that week in California.)
Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles are scheduled to address the media Tuesday afternoon at Halas Hall. The team already has a short list of significant players with injuries that might affect their availability for the start of camp, including Braxton Jones (ankle), Colston Loveland (shoulder) and Luther Burden III (undisclosed). Jaylon Johnson's status will be worth monitoring as the team marches into Ben Johnson's first camp as coach with designs on becoming a playoff contender this season.
