The Chicago Bears could be getting major defensive reinforcements sooner than expected.

Chicago announced Friday that they’ve activated cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s window to come off injured reserve. He’ll now have 21 days to be activated to the active roster.

“We’ll see how long it’ll take to get him back in shape,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson told reporters at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Friday. “But I think he’s in a good spot right now, and I think being out on the grass is going to be a good thing for him.”

The news is a major development for Jaylon and the Bears and a major shift from what was expected.

Jaylon tore his groin in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, which required surgery. The Bears at the time didn’t give a timeline for his return and said that Jaylon would be out indefinitely. Coach Ben Johnson said earlier this week that he expected Jaylon to return before the end of this season.

This season has been tough health-wise for Jaylon since the summer. He missed all of training camp and the season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings because of a separate groin and calf injury before he suffered another injury against the Lions.

Jaylon has been the headline of many injuries that have sidetracked the Bears’ secondary this year. The unit has also played without slot cornerback Kyler Gordon for all but two games this year. Meanwhile, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson has dealt with a shoulder injury of the past few weeks that kept him out of a game.

The news on Friday means that Jaylon could come back over the next few weeks. He won’t play against the Vikings on Sunday, but could play against the Pittsburgh Steelers or Philadelphia Eagles the following week. If Jaylon needs the full 21-day period, he could be activated in time to play the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 7.

“I think he really wants to be out there, and so he’s worked his tail off to get to this point,” Ben said. “And it’s on us as coaches to put him in a good spot here, going forward, to get him ready to compete here in the rest of the year.”