On cutdown day, the Chicago Bears acquired defensive back Clark Phillips III form the Atlanta Falcons as part of their deal parting with defensive tackle Gervon Dexter. While Phillips' role has yet to be determined — especially in the wake of the versatility he offers the team's secondary — he already has a connection to one prominent name in the room.
Phillips attended the University of Utah. His best season came in 2022 when he notched six interceptions across 12 games (two of which were returned for touchdowns) and was named a consensus All-American. His predecessor with the Utes? One Jaylon Johnson.
"Just missed him," Phillips said. "I was an early enrollee, so I was getting in like January [2020], late December [2019], and he was leaving
because he didn’t play in the last bowl game. So, it was like I was pulling up and he was dipping, so I like to say he passed the torch. It was like one in and one out."
Johnson's shoes were surely difficult to fill. After a four-interception 2019 season, Johnson went on to be a second-round pick of the Bears in the 2020 NFL Draft. While the two didn't interact directly given the timing, Johnson's legacy at Utah left an impact on Phillips.
“He was somebody that I definitely watched,” Phillips said. “With it being the same defense that I was coming into, it was easy to watch that film with the same calls, the same plays. It was like, ‘OK, this is where you fit, this is what you’re going to do and go make plays,’ and we did that.”
Phillips went on to have a more productive peak final season than Johnson from a statistical standpoint but hasn't established himself at the top level quite as much as Johnson since being selected in the fourth round back in 2023. One wonders if any kind of mentorship may be in store given that connection between a player still trying to establish himself as a regular and one of the Bears' veteran leaders on the locker room. Either way, that connection could prove to be a factor as Phillips gains his footing with the Bears.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: New Bears DB Clark Phillips III has quiet history with Jaylon Johnson
