Former Utah star appears on track for NFL Week 1

The Bears placed their two-time Pro Bowler on the non-football injury list last month before jumping into training camp. Bears general manager Ryan Poles indicated on a podcast appearance that Jaylon sustained the injury in the offseason, describing it as a "freak deal."

"Jaylon works hard," Poles said. "In terms of the body fat and weight and lean mass ... his was right on track. He'd been working hard, like he always does, so he was training [and] just kind of had a freak deal."

With about two weeks left until the Vikings visit Soldier Field for a Monday night showdown, Jaylon gave his team and fans some positive news as he showcased his agility and explosiveness in pregame warm-ups.

"He is right on track [to play Week 1]," Ben said last week. "He's right where he needs to be. Those type of injuries; you don't know, short term, long term, every guy's a little bit different, but I think we're going the right direction."

Jaylon has dealt with his share of bumps and bruises over the course of his professional career — from a shoulder injury as a rookie in 2020, to a couple of lower body injuries that limited him to 11 appearances in 2022. He returned to form in 2023, hauling in a career-high four interceptions and earning All-Pro Second Team honors from the Associated Press.

In 2024, the 26-year-old played in all 17 games for the first time in his career and recorded career highs in tackles (53) and tackles for loss (seven) while snagging two interceptions and forcing one fumble.

With Dennis Allen calling the shots on defense now, the Bears will likely lean on Jaylon to shadow their opponents' top wide receiver on a consistent basis.

Chicago is also hoping that fourth-year cornerback Kyler Gordon will be good to go after dealing with a hamstring injury during training camp. Gordon's head coach has said the former Washington star is "week-to-week."