NFC Notes: Jack Campbell, Jaylon Johnson, Bears, Lions, Packers

Bears

Bears CB Jaylon Johnson is aiming to prove how much talent he has as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, mentioning the contract extension that TE Cole Kmet recently signed with the team. 

“The way I see it is, I’ve still got a lot to earn,” Johnson said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “I feel like I’ve still got a lot to prove. It’s not like I’m a first-team All-Pro three years in a row and don’t have a contract. … I’m going to come out here each and every day and work, and then whatever comes from that, comes from that.”

“I feel like it’s just something that you just wait your turn,” Johnson continued. “Everybody’s situation is different, too. Cole [Kmet] and his situation isn’t necessarily my situation. Whatever my numbers are, are going to be my numbers, so I mean I’m not looking, ‘OK, Cole’s money is going to be my money.’ Nah. I don’t look at it like that. Definitely, just something I am looking forward to seeing where it goes. I’m still gonna go out here and lock them cats up. I do know I don’t have the accolades. My accolades and my ability don’t match up by any means. I definitely have All-Pro talent, for sure. I have Pro Bowl talent. I go out there and lock those guys up. So that’s not where my confidence is at. I’m a reality guy and I can look on the All-Pro list, and I ain’t on there. But I still believe in myself 100%.

“Sometimes you’ve gotta adjust,” Johnson concluded. “That’s the biggest thing for me, too, is being able to adjust and being able to add that element into my game. There’s certain ways to do it. It’s not just about going out there and playing stupid and just taking risks and things like that, but definitely if it’s something where I have to make sure that I’m preparing myself to play more off-man, then, I mean, shoot, I can lock a guy down playing off-man as well. At the end of the day, I can’t just not change what I’m doing and expect for results to be different. For me, it’s just about finding that adjustment that I’m comfortable with and continue to be myself and continue to be myself but also continue to get better and expand my game.”

Bears GM Ryan Poles noted how the team signing Kmet to an extension was well received in Chicago’s locker room. He also mentioned Johnson, saying he is the type of player the team would like to keep for a while. 

“I had a player come up to me after practice [Thursday] and said, ‘Hey, you sent a ton of energy through the locker room because you guys are taking care of the guys in there,'” Poles said of the Kmet extension. “And it was really cool.”

“I’d say like the relationship’s good,” Poles added on Johnson. “He’s out showing that he can perform at a high level and becoming the player that he wants to be and improve. So that’s all I can really say about that.”

Lions

Lions first-round LB Jack Campbell is hoping to translate some of the success he had defensively at Iowa to the NFL with Detroit.

“I feel like it’s a program kind of ran like this organization,” Campbell noted, via LionsWire.com. “You show up, you do what you’re expected to do. There are no excuses. If you wanna set new standards, that’s what you gotta do.”

Packers

Packers HC Matt LaFleur is excited about what can come from rookie WR Malik Heath and has already been impressed by him in training camp.

“I think he is a talented young player, a guy we look forward to putting in some situations and seeing how he responds in games,” LaFleur said, via PackersWire.com. “Malik has done a lot of great things. He’s a strong, strong football player. He can run through contact, he does a good job releasing off the line of scrimmage, widening corners when he gets press coverage, ripping through, he’s got really good ball skills and he’s a bigger guy. Malik has shown us what he can do, now it’s about the consistency of which he does it. Like all young players, it’s all about that, just how consistent can you do it down in and down out.”