The Chicago Bears pieced together one of their largest undrafted free agency classes in years earlier this month. Plenty of names signed up for the chance to fight for a roster spot this summer. After seeing what happened with Jahdae Walker last season, one could understand why many of them are hopeful to follow the same path. What stood out the most was how much money the Bears threw around. They aren’t usually known for handing out huge contracts to undrafted rookies, but a couple were near the NFL record for the most ever given to such players. One of them went to Caden Barnett.

The Wyoming guard, affectionately known as the Vanilla Gorilla, was among the select group of players who surprisingly went undrafted. Most saw him as a 5th or 6th round prospect. Landing him was a major boon for the Bears, who needed more interior offensive line depth. The tricky part was convincing him to come to Chicago. Several teams were interested in his services. The Bears needed a way to close the deal. Based on new footage from 1920 Football Drive, an unlikely hero stepped up.

Assistant offensive line coach Kyle DeVan was tasked with calling and recruiting Barnett. It appears he was successful, as scouts and fellow coaches celebrated when the rookie said yes.

Connecting DeVan with Caden Barnett was brilliant by the Bears.

While Dan Roushar is the team’s offensive line coach, DeVan has far more experience in the college ranks. He was the offensive line coach for Ball State, Arizona, Colorado, Charlotte, and Oregon State. In that time, he did a lot of recruiting for every program. That gives you plenty of experience communicating with young players and learning what they want or need to hear. If anybody was equipped to handle those delicate talks with Barnett, it was him. He got the job done.

The Bears haven’t been shy in their praise of DeVan. Head coach Ben Johnson has said on more than one occasion that they have two of the best offensive line coaches in the business. That is pretty high praise. Everybody knew about Roushar. They’re just starting to learn about DeVan. His impact last season was certainly felt as the offensive line took a major leap forward, allowing just 24 sacks and paving the way for the #3 rushing attack in the league.

Barnett chose his spot well.

He couldn’t have asked for a better developmental program to enter. Not only does he get to work with Roushar and DeVan, but he’ll also play for Ben Johnson. Those three coaches are excellent at coaching up offensive linemen. If Caden Barnett has anything to offer the NFL, the Bears are the team most equipped to find out. His opportunity may not be too far off. Age is becoming a topic of discussion for this team at both of their guard positions. Joe Thuney turns 34 in November. Jonah Jackson isn’t far from his 30s either.

There is no telling when Thuney may choose to retire or when Jackson succumbs to his occasional health issues. If Barnett has put himself in a primary backup position this summer, he’ll be in a great spot to potentially earn playing time at some point. He certainly has the nastiness, toughness, and power base to fit what the Bears do offensively. He’ll need to polish up his pass protection over the coming months. If he listens to the coaches, that shouldn’t be a huge issue.

Ben Johnson was a darling in media circles during his rise up the ranks with the Detroit Lions. It was a great story. Here is a young assistant who was cast out of Miami and left adrift. He lands with one of the worst teams in the NFL, becomes their offensive coordinator, turns the offense into a juggernaut, and authors one of the greatest franchise revivals in recent memory. Everybody knew he was destined to become a head coach. However, no one thought he might turn to the dark side.

That may sound a little over the top, but the signs are growing. Johnson chooses to take over as head coach of the Chicago Bears, one of Detroit’s biggest rivals. He immediately declares his great joy for beating Matt Lafleur and the Green Bay Packers, a longtime media darling. His comments to the media come across as brash and borderline arrogant. He takes his shirt off during a post-game celebration over Philadelphia on national television. According to Sports Mockery insider Jeff Hughes, a lot of people inside the league are developing a serious dislike for Johnson.

Ben Johnson is wearing the black hat.

One thing you often find is true about the NFL is that it is almost always at its best when it has a great villain. There is a certain head coach and team that always does things in a certain manner that goes against the classy spirit of competition the league likes to exude. It was Al Davis and John Madden with the Oakland Raiders in the 1960s and 1970s. There was Buddy Ryan with the Philadelphia Eagles in the late 1980s, or Jimmy Johnson with the Dallas Cowboys in the early 1990s. Then there was Emperor Palpatine himself, the always shady Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots in the 2000s and 2010s.

However, over the past few years, the NFL hasn’t really had a coach step into that role. Most of the top guys are well-respected and well-liked, including Andy Reid, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Mike MacDonald, and Dan Campbell. It was starting to feel like a country club atmosphere where hate and rivalry were being phased out. Ben Johnson made it his mission to put a stop to that nonsense. His message was clear from the moment he arrived in Chicago.

Everybody is the enemy, and I will walk over their corpses to win if I have to.

This outcome is perfect for the Bears.

One thing that often gets overlooked about franchise history is that Chicago doesn’t mind being the antagonist in somebody else’s story. George Halas himself was notorious for pulling some dirty tricks during games in his day. Mike Ditka always instructed his team to play with a physical edge. Ben Johnson is merely embracing that long-lost identity. Besides, this isn’t the movies. In real life, villains win all the time. All of those names mentioned above did lots of it. Three are in the Hall of Fame, and another will be soon.

Let’s be honest. The Bears were never built to play the role of the golden boy hero. Everything from their origin story to their color palette indicates the villain. All they were missing was a head coach who understood that. Johnson is that guy. He doesn’t care if other people hate him. He’s ready to do whatever it takes to win. That includes playing mind games and or being a prick. Famous pro wrestler CM Punk had a great quote when he returned to WWE a few years ago.

“I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to make money.”

Johnson is much the same way, only it’s rings he’s chasing instead of cash.

Stop if you’ve heard it before. Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed an absurd pass that went viral online. It seemed to be his favorite hobby last season. Almost half of the top ten throws of the entire NFL season were made by Williams. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that he picked up right where he left off at Organized Team Activities. This time, it is a video showing Williams rolling to his right. Then, in slow motion, he torques his body and unloads a bomb down the field to Rome Odunze for a touchdown.

Those in attendance were mesmerized by the feat. Adam Hoge of CHGO said it looked like it went 80 yards. Backup quarterback Case Keenum later confirmed the ball went 67 yards through the air. Understand that such an accomplishment is hard enough when your feet are set. Williams did it off balance and rolling away from Odunze. However, the story somehow still gets better. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the wind was blowing really hard that day. Weather data shows gusts reached 21 mph.

So Williams threw a ball 67 yards through the air, rolling to his right, in high wind conditions, and still hit Odunze in stride. Preposterous.

Caleb Williams keeps defying the laws of football physics.

Everybody knew the quarterback had a good arm. He’d showcased it for years at Oklahoma and USC in college. Yet even then, it seemed like they never fully grasped how strong it was. We might be talking about one of the two or three strongest arms in the NFL. His list of feats proving it keeps growing. Probably the craziest was the last-second touchdown to Cole Kmet in the playoffs to force overtime against L.A. Retreating ten yards after your deep drop and still having enough on the throw to get behind the defense is not normal.

You’d think the Bears’ defense would’ve been wary of that possibility in practice after seeing Williams do it so often. Clearly, lessons must be learned several times before they’re remembered. This serves as another reminder of why Chicago’s offense is a nightmare to defend. You have a running game that is back to being one of the best in the NFL. Now the Bears have a quarterback who not only has a strong arm but also enough accuracy to drop it on a dime while evading pressure. It’s not fair.

Williams has the Superman cape.

The trick moving forward is learning not to rely on it so often. That was something both he and the Bears did a lot in 2025. It led to most of their big 4th quarter comebacks, including the all-timer against Green Bay in the playoffs. The problem is that it’s difficult to win championships that way. For Williams, it must be about finding consistency. Learn how to be efficient. Force defenses to defend the easier plays. That way, when they start getting a sense they’re gaining some steam, Williams can put on that cape and ruin their day.

It is what made greats like Michael Jordan so spirit-crushing. Defenses would do everything right, and it still wouldn’t matter. That is the type of player Caleb Williams can be, in a football sense, of course. Patrick Mahomes? Josh Allen? He is very much in their league talent-wise. The hard part is finding the happy medium between a steady quarterback and an on-field magician. It certainly looks like Williams has some new tricks up his sleeve for the coming season.

There was plenty of buzz coming out of rookie minicamps this year. Most of it involved Chicago Bears 1st round pick Dillon Thieneman. He was already asserting control over his teammates, getting them properly lined up, and taking on a leadership role. Jordan Van Den Berg also got his share of attention. The explosiveness and athleticism mentioned about the 6th round pick were on display more than once. However, the belle of the ball was 3rd round wide receiver Zavion Thomas, who reportedly surprised even the coaches with route running skills.

Everybody knew the LSU prospect was fast. You don’t run a 4.28 by accident. The belief was that his biggest strength was as a return man. He’d housed the ball three times in college. As a wide receiver? His production never stood out, leading some to believe he was a work in progress. The entire team reconvened for Organized Team Activities this week, including the veterans. Perhaps the Thomas buzz would die down a bit once he started going against proven starters.

Apparently not. The rookie didn’t take long to make his presence felt.

Zavion Thomas brings an element the Bears lacked last season.

While their offense featured many qualities that made it a huge success, one element was missing: a true burner. Somebody who could stretch the field vertically, creating more space for tight ends and slot receivers to operate. Luther Burden filled that role to a degree, but he doesn’t have true game-breaking speed. Thomas does. You can’t teach it. However, you have no choice but to respect it. Defenses will operate knowing the threat Thomas poses every time he steps on the field. That will force them to operate less aggressively, fearing the big play.

By retreating into a shell to protect against that speed, it opens up opportunities elsewhere. Often, that opening comes in the run game. Playing with safeties high means fewer defenders near the line of scrimmage. Fewer defenders near the line means better chances to find running lanes. The Bears have exploited this strategy many times over the years. You saw it with Willie Gault in the 1980s, Bernard Berrian in the 2000s, and Darnell Mooney a few years ago. Yet Thomas is a different animal.

There is more to his game than just speed.

One thing you find with most receivers of that type is that they are one-trick ponies. They run really fast. Not much else. Zavion Thomas is different because he is also dangerous with the ball in his hands. For somebody of below-average size, he is strong. Tackling him isn’t as easy as you’d think. He is a lot like Devin Hester in that way. Catching him is hard enough. Getting him on the ground is another matter. This is another reason why head coach Ben Johnson wanted him. He is dangerous both with and without the ball.

That 50-yard bomb was merely a taste of what’s possible with this young man. If he masters the route-running responsibilities of his position, there is no limit to what he can accomplish. We might be looking at another Cliff Branch, Bob Hayes, Desean Jackson, or Tyreek Hill. Their respective impacts were impossible to deny. Thomas may never be the primary guy in this offense. That won’t matter. He doesn’t need to be. If he gives you one big play every week, his impact is every bit as significant as someone with seven catches for 60 yards.