Chuck Pagano tends to know good cornerbacks when he sees them. The man spent a huge portion of his career in football as a defensive backs coach. So his eye for the position is sharper than most. All one has to do is look at his track record in recent years to understand that.
He helped the Baltimore Ravens identify Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith as future quality pros. Then as head coach in Indianapolis, he signed off on the trade for Vontae Davis from Miami where he’d been struggling. The corner quickly became a Pro Bowler there. So he knows good ones when he sees them.
That is why his recent comments on 2nd round pick Jaylon Johnson stood out so much.
“Ever since he’s been cleared for limited and then full participation, he’s done a really good job. He’s a quick study. He gets it. He’s an athletic guy. When he’s around the ball, he makes plays. He makes interceptions. He’s got exceptional ball skills — and it’s not too big for him…
…He’s a humble kid, but he’s really confident. He doesn’t let things bother him. Guys in this league are going to make plays, we know that. A guy will catch a ball on him, and maybe not, I don’t know. He’s done a great job. He’s a very athletic guy and very talented, but he’s a confident guy and he’s got great ball skills, really good cover skills. So, (I’m) really excited to see him go out and compete and play.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7QpabDb4XQ&t=1s&ab_channel=ChicagoBears
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Chuck Pagano would not start a rookie without good reason
After Artie Burns and Tre Roberson went down with season-ending injuries, everybody felt the Bears were going to quickly sign a veteran corner to compete for the starting job. Instead? They did nothing. They moved forward with who they had. Not only that but they doubled down. Johnson was declared the starting boundary corner for Sunday and they also cut his primary competition in Kevin Toliver.
That is a huge vote of confidence from a guy like Pagano. Johnson doesn’t seem the least bit surprised or nervous by it either. From day one the young cornerback said he felt he should’ve been drafted higher back in April. He sees himself as one of the best in the 2020 class and intends to use the Bears as a stepping stone to prove it.
That unshakeable confidence is undoubtedly why the coaches are willing to trust him.