Jaylon Johnson is ready to prove he's more than just potential. The Bears' defense has a new leader, and it's his time to shine against the Vikings
The Chicago Bears have announced their roster elevations for Week 1’s home opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football — and their decisions suggest good news for top cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s availability.
According to the team’s transaction wire, the Bears elevated linebacker Carl Jones Jr. and veteran defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon on Monday afternoon to their game-day roster ahead of their season opener against the Vikings.
The Bears’ roster moves make sense in the context of their injuries. Linebacker T.J. Edwards is doubtful to play against the Vikings with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Austin Booker — whom the team projected as its No. 3 defensive end — is out for the first four games on injured reserve, leaving them shorthanded off the edge.
At the same time, many believed the Bears would elevate a cornerback to their game-day roster instead with both Johnson and slot cornerback Kyler Gordon on the injury report with questionable injury designations. Backup slot cornerback Josh Blackwell is also questionable with a groin injury that has either sidelined or limited him for weeks.
The Bears have just three cornerbacks on their active roster who are not listed on their Week 1 injury report between Tyrique Stevenson, Nahshon Wright and Nick McCloud. Their decision not to call up a cornerback from the practice squad, though, indicates that they expect at least some of their injured contributors to suit up Monday night.
The Bears will kick off against the Vikings at Soldier Field at 8:15 p.m. ET tonight.
Will Bears DE Depth Prove Problematic vs. Vikings?
The Bears have some major questions at defensive end heading into their first game of the 2025 season, from their hand-picked starters to the depth situated behind them.
At the top of the depth chart, the Bears are trusting the veteran duo of Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo as the primary edge-rushing cogs in new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense, but there are reasons for skepticism with both starters.
Sweat is coming off a disappointing 5.5-sack season for the Bears in 2024, during which he also dealt with injuries. Chicago will be happy to have him if he can produce similar to his 2023 numbers (a career-high 12.5 sacks and 72 pressures), but they need to see a bounce back from their $98 million pass rusher in 2025 — or else reconsider the plan.
On the other side, Odeyingbo has much to prove. He had 13 sacks between the 2022 and 2023 seasons as a rotational pass rusher for the Indianapolis Colts, but he did not have as much success as a 14-game starter for them in 2024, recording just three total.
The Bears also cannot purely rely on their starters even if both pan out. They need at least one additional pass rusher who can rotate in with Sweat and Odeyingbo to keep the unit fresh and effective. And heading into Monday night, that role is undefined between the three options of Dominique Robinson, Daniel Hardy and Kpassagnon.
That’s a lot of maybe for the Bears, and it could bite them against the Vikings.
Noah Sewell & Ruben Hyppolite in Line for Big Roles
With their pregame roster moves, the Bears have also tipped their cap toward another likelihood about Monday night’s game: that Edwards will be inactive versus the Vikings.
Edwards not playing already seemed like the most probable outcome, as he missed the full week of practice with his hamstring injury and was listed as doubtful on the injury report. Jones’ elevation, though, all but assures he will sit in the team’s season opener.
Make no mistake, though: the Bears will ask Noah Sewell and rookie Ruben Hyppolite II to pick up the majority of Edwards’ slack against the Vikings under the lights.
Hyppolite and Sewell spent camp competing with each other for the strongside role that Jack Sanborn left behind when he departed in 2025 free agency. While the Bears only list two linebackers on their official depth chart — and, therefore, have been mum about the winner of that battle — it is now likely both will see significant action on Monday.
The Bears will also have Jones and D’Marco Jackson — whom they claimed off waivers after 53-man roster cuts — available for depth, but they are more likely to see action on special teams to free up Sewell and Hyppolite for more prominent roles on defense.
Blockbuster 3-team Bulls trade idea sees Chicago ditch fan favorite star
A surprise multi-team Chicago Bulls trade pitch by an NBA expert would see the team part ways with a fan favorite star.
Would the juice be worth the squeeze?
For the third-biggest market in the country, Chicago has been shockingly irrelevant since trading away future Hall of Fame small forward Jimmy Butler in his absolute prime. The Bulls have made just one playoff appearance in the eight ensuing seasons.
Chicago's new regime has led to... the same old story
During their past three seasons under team president Arturas Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan, the Bulls have been perpetual play-in tournament squads: decent enough in the Eastern Conference to finish between the Nos. 7-10 seeds, but too bad to actually advance to the playoffs proper.
Butler's Miami Heat handed the Bulls a pair of play-in defeats in 2023 and '24.
One of the young players to truly make an impression on Bulls fans is Chicago native Ayo Dosunmu, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard out of the University of Illinois.
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report proposes a three-team blockbuster deal with the Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards that would finally send Dosunmu to a contender, while bringing Chicago some draft equity.
Bulls Receive: Zeke Nnaji, Peyton Watson, 2026 second-round pick (least favorable of Dallas, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia, via Washington), 2028 first-round swap (top-10 protection, via Denver)
Nuggets Receive: Ayo Dosunmu, Justin Champagnie
Wizards Receive: 2032 second-round pick (via Denver)
A 6-foot-9 big man out of Arizona, Nnaji has been something of a bust on a championship hopeful that could definitely have used him. He'd be a pricey addition relative to his on-court value, but Chicago isn't exactly trying to contend any time soon.
"Stomaching the three years and $23.2 million remaining on Nnaji's deal is a tall order. However, it's also not the back-busting task many make it out to be," Favale writes. "Nnaji tops out at 5.3 percent of the salary cap, and Chicago could have rotation minutes for him to play depending on its plans for the expiring contracts of Zach Collins and Nikola Vucevic."
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Watson, an athletic guard out of UCLA, has shown more intriguing flashes than Nnaji. During his third pro season with Denver in 2024-25, the 22-year-old averaged 8.1 points on .477/.353/.693 shooting splits, 3.4 boards, 1.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.7 steals a night.
"Getting a flier [on] Watson is worth the financial trouble. He could be their perimeter-defensive anchor of the future and more on-ball offense to plumb. Having to pay him next summer adds a wrinkle to the equation, but the Bulls are seeing firsthand with Josh Giddey how restricted free agency favors incumbent teams."
Favale observes that Dosunmu seems to be on his way out of town anyway, given Chicago's apparent interest in retaining restricted free agent Giddey this offseason and possibly holding onto starting shooting guard Coby White in 2026.
