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Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson bluntly gives injury update, outlook

3 months agoScott Bair

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson provided details of and the initial outlook for an injury suffered in a Week 2 loss to Detroit during his weekly appearance on 670-AM The Score in Chicago.

None of it sounded positive for the injured player or a team that badly needs him in the lineup.

Johnson described his latest injury as new but related to the groin issue he suffered during private training that kept him out the entire preseason and Week 1.

Johnson’s first injury tore an adductor off his pelvic bone, which required significant rehab. Then, in his season debut Sunday against the Lions, Johnson said he heard a “pop” while expertly breaking up a deep shot intended for Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

“I first tore my adductor off of my pelvic bone – that sounds worse than what it really is,” Johnson said Monday afternoon on the “Spiegel and Holmes Show.” “… Of course, it’s painful and you’ve got to rehab and get it back strong. For me now, I feel like, with that being the case, the other side of the top part of (the groin) was compromised. And that’s what is affected now. It’s everything as a whole in that whole region needs to get, I would say, repaired.

“We’re kind of figuring out where I want to go from there, of course, to see what’s the best option and who is the best option, what that looks like, the timelines and things like that. That’s what I’m trying to do now.”

Johnson said he has already spoken with medical professionals about what to do next. He’ll also seek advice from other athletes who have dealt with similar issues.

The 26-year-old two-time Pro Bowler said it’s difficult to be dealing with this after playing in just one regular-season game and a summer’s worth of rehab, but he remains focused on what’s next.

“I’m in a positive space,” Johnson said. “I think, of course, when you put in so much time and so much effort, it hurts when you’re looking at, pretty much, for your season to be ended. It’s not ideal. I put in an extreme amount of work in preparation.

“… I’m really focused on what’s right now, in the moment. Right now, I’m being taken away from the game for a little bit. Whatever that looks like (coming up next), I just have to recommit and define myself in a different way and keep going from there and attack each and every thing, whether that’s rehab or full surgery or post-surgery or whatever that looks like. I have to continue to push myself and get better.”

No final decisions have been made on exactly what Johnson will do next.

He said he didn’t regret his decision to play against the Lions despite what happened. Johnson also said he wasn’t rushed into playing and didn’t push himself to get back too soon.

“I wouldn’t say there was any rushing involved,” Johnson said. “I would say there was a sense of urgency to get back. There was no rush, and I didn’t do anything reckless. I would say I felt comfortable playing. If I didn’t feel comfortable, I wouldn’t have played, no matter what anybody was saying.

“For me, I pushed myself good enough. I felt strong. I felt really good during practice. Of course, there was some soreness and things like that but, that comes with increasing the volume and things like that. Heading into the game I felt really good. I wouldn’t change that decision to play in the game.”

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