Nam Y. Huh/AP Photos
When general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus took over the Bears in 2022, they did so with a roster that was missing pretty much everything. Not only did the team lack proven veterans to be competitive in the short term, it had minimal pieces in place for the future.
And even in that mostly desolate landscape, they seemed skeptical about cornerback Jaylon Johnson. He had been an immediate success as a rookie and only climbed from there, appearing to almost everyone as a rising star at a premium position.