Bears‘ Jaylon Johnson proved himself as one of the NFL’s best it has to offer in terms of cornerbacks.
And Joey Porter Jr., Steelers cornerback and a rising star in the league, recognized that, too.
“There’s a lot of good corners,” Porter Jr. said when asked about his top-five by Jordan Schultz. “I think [L’Jarius] Sneed. I think he’s like that. [Trent] McDuffie, I feel like he’s a baller. Jaylon Johnson from the Bears. I think he’s a dog. [Pat] Surtain’s like that. That’s already known. And I’ll probably throw me in there. Obviously, gotta throw my name.”
As aforementioned, Johnson’s fourth year served as the lynchpin of his case as a top cornerback in the league. He recorded four interceptions after having recorded just one over three seasons.
Johnson also (somehow) improved his coverage rate, allowing his targets a 55.2% completion percentage, his career season-low for that category. Opposing quarterbacks averaged a 50.9 passer rating when throwing to his assignments. That’s abysmal.
He also finished with one touchdown, 10 passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 36 combined tackles. For that, he earned himself his first Pro Bowl nod and a second-team All-Pro selection.
The Bears also treated him like a top-tier corner, paying him a four-year contract worth $76 million with a position-high $54 million in guaranteed money. His overall contract worth leaves him as the seventh highest-paid corner in the NFL.
Porter Jr. has a way to go before pundits would consider him a top-five cornerback. After one season, he has one interception, 10 passes defended and 43 combined tackles to his name.
But his recognition of the league’s best puts him on a strong path ahead.
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