It’s been a summer of good buzz in Chicago, but cornerback Jaylon Johnson is ready to shift gears.
The arrival of quarterback Caleb Williams as the top pick in the draft provided a jolt to a franchise that’s been slumbering for the last few years and a starring role on Hard Knocks helped build optimism about what the team will be able to achieve on the field this fall. Johnson has heard the chatter, but he wants the team to tune it out because it is time to shift from talking to doing.
“I’m done buying into the hype, honestly,” Johnson said, via the team’s website. “I feel like I’ve said it before plenty of times. I’ve had some pretty good rosters and plenty of talented people in the locker rooms where [it’s said], ‘Oh yeah, this is our year, this is our year.’ Everything that we’ve got in this locker room sounds good, it seems good, but none of that matters. What matters is what we’re going to do this weekend and from every Sunday or Monday, whatever game it is. That’s when it matters. The preseason hype doesn’t move me. We’ve all got to come in here and we’ve got to work, just top to bottom.”
The Titans will be in Chicago on Sunday and that will give Johnson and the rest of the team a chance to show that there’s something behind all the smoke that’s been seen in Chicago over the last few months.