Chicago Bears players have fully bought into new head coach Ben Johnson. You can tell just from how hard they play and how they react to him in the locker room. These are players who sense they have somebody running the show who gets it. However, their statements about him haven’t changed. While they love the intensity, intelligence, and passion, they also can’t help but notice how dialed in the guy can be. D.J. Moore called it creep. Others call it psychotic. Fans have seen the locker room speeches. What they haven’t seen is what he’s like on the sideline.

They finally got a taste on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Inside The NFL cameras were on him during the entire game. One thing became apparent right away. The man never changed his expression. Not one time in three hours. Defensive interception? Nope. Strip-sack? Uh uh. Rushing touchdown? Sorry. Johnson was like a granite statue the entire time. It was wild to watch, and kind of funny too. This must be what players were referring to when they described it as creepy.

Ben Johnson certainly isn’t one to get distracted.

The man appears well-prepared for every game. Sure, he makes mistakes from time to time with certain play calls, but there haven’t been any egregious head coaching moments. He’s taken timeouts at the right times, gone for it on 4th down when the situation demanded it, and understood the right times to throw or pass. His ability to handle game management has been critical to the Bears’ four-game win streak. That comment at the beginning of the video says it all

“I’m always watching.”

Perfect slogan for a head coach, or maybe a serial killer. Either way, it’s refreshing to see Ben Johnson take this seriously. He is only interested in winning football games and is prepared to do whatever it takes. If he forgets to celebrate or react emotionally at all in the process, so be it. There is always time for that in the locker room afterward.

Maxx Crosby has been surrounded by trade rumors for months. However, they never quite got serious. The Las Vegas Raiders were determined to keep their superstar pass rusher and produce a winner under new head coach Pete Carroll. That has not happened. The Raiders are 2-5 and appear to be one of the NFL’s worst teams. They lost 40-6 against Indianapolis three weeks ago and then were crushed 31-0 by Kansas City last week. It’s beyond obvious that the team is going nowhere and is in desperate need of revamping. For that, they need draft picks. The easiest way to get them is by trading their best players.

Word has leaked that the Raiders are now seriously considering offers for Crosby. It makes sense. He’s 28 years old and still every bit as dominant as he’s been for years. His value will never be higher than it is right now. Jeff Hughes of Sports Mockery confirmed the rumors, stating Crosby is available. He also revealed what the price tag will be for the Chicago Bears and any other teams that might be interested.

Maxx Crosby is a stud and the Bears are a viable landing spot.

If and when the Raiders trade him, they will likely prefer sending him somewhere they won’t have to play against him. Chicago resides in the NFC and already played Las Vegas last month. The two teams are unlikely to meet again until four years from now. It is a great setup from their perspective. However, there are complications for the Bears. This sort of trade is only made when you’re convinced it will turn you into a Super Bowl contender. Yes, they’ve won four in a row, but are Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson sold on this team being that far along? That seems unlikely.

The Bears’ GM has never made a blockbuster trade of this magnitude. In fact, he has spoken out against them, believing that the short-term gain is almost never worth the long-term ramifications. Then there is the money issue. Crosby is signed through 2029 at $29-30 million per year. Chicago is thin on cap space next year ($2.8 million). They don’t have any clear ways to find more, other than restructuring current contracts, which creates more long-term problems.

Maybe the Bears believe Maxx Crosby is worth it. There are few players like him in the NFL, but the cost might be too prohibitive.

The NFL draft won’t be a consequential discussion for another few months. Right now, the Chicago Bears are enjoying the excitement of a four-game winning streak and being back in the NFC playoff picture. Still, GM Ryan Poles and his scouts can’t afford to take days off. They must look ahead to the next infusion of young talent, building what they hope is an eventual Super Bowl contender. It starts with continuing to hit on their 1st round picks. Darnell Wright, Caleb Williams, and Rome Odunze all appear to be quality players. Hopes are high for Colston Loveland as well.

One thing about the Bears GM is that he has a history of zeroing in on players he likes early. That was the case with Wright in 2023 and again with Williams in 2024. Even though it’s October, one source told SM that the Bears brass have fallen in love with a particular name for the upcoming 2026 class. That is Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey. Chicago has struggled getting to the quarterback this season. Bailey has 10.5 sacks in seven games this season, dominating every blocker he comes across.

Ryan Poles’ biggest challenge will be selling Dennis Allen.

It’s no secret that the Bears defensive coordinator loves bigger defensive ends. He prefers players with power and length, which makes it easier to defend against the run. However, this approach has left the team with a lack of speed off the edge. Bailey would be an immediate solution to that. He’s not overly big, but he’s athletic, explosive, and has a bevy of pass rush moves with which to abuse offensive tackles. If Ryan Poles can get Allen to look past the size concerns, this is a player who can make this defense much more dangerous.

It will be interesting to see where Bailey’s draft stock goes before April. He was viewed as a 2nd round prospect coming into this year. Smart money says he’s a 1st round lock now. The question is whether the Bers will have a shot at him. If they do, Poles would love to make it happen.

The Chicago Bears took care of business on Sunday, defeating the New Orleans Saints 26-14 to win their fourth in a row. This was done primarily through their traditional means: running the ball and playing good defense. Chicago racked up 222 yards on the ground. It didn’t come through the pure greatness of their running backs but through excellent blocking up front. One of the best performers on this front was tight end Colston Loveland. The rookie tight end was the second-highest grade run-blocker on the afternoon.

Nobody learned that better than Saints defensive end Carl Granderson. The Bears’ rookie introduced himself in the 2nd quarter on 3rd and 2 when he pancaked Granderson on an 11-yard run by Roschon Johnson. D'Andre Swift scored on the next play to put the Bears up 13-0. On the very next series, Chicago was knocking on the door again. This time, Loveland came in motion and picked off Granderson on a seal block. Rather than trying to shed the block and tackle Kyle Monangai, the defensive end focused on putting the tight end on the ground. Monangai scored easily. Loveland spoke on that play to Adam Jahns of CHGO.

“No, no, no,” Loveland said, smiling. “He wasn’t too happy about it.”

Colston Loveland is a pest. In the best kind of way.

Looking at his frame, you’d immediately say he is that type of tight end who runs good routes and can catch the ball. This is true. Colston Loveland can do that. What gets missed until it’s too late is that he’s much stronger than he looks. That comes from being a product of the Idaho ranching life. He blocks with surprising strength and even more tenacity. Don’t forget Granderson is 260 lbs. He outweights Loveland by 20 lbs. For the tight end to ragdoll him anyway was a testament to his strength and technique. Getting shown up by a rookie is one thing for Granderson, but a rookie tight end? That is unacceptable, which explains his clear desire to get his shot back in that second meeting, even if it came at his team’s expense.

Caleb Williams is having an up-and-down second season — but honestly, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to look. Ben Johnson is as elite as they come, and learning his system was always going to take some time. Williams looks like a young quarterback still getting comfortable in a new offense, but the key is that the Bears are winning despite his learning curve and growing pains.

Williams does need to develop more poise. At times — especially last week against the Saints — it felt like he was playing backyard football. But that will smooth out once he’s fully settled into Johnson’s system. And even with those struggles, when the Bears needed a play, Williams delivered.

With under two minutes left in the fourth quarter on 4th and 2, the Bears had a chance to seal the game. They’d been running the ball effectively all day, so Johnson easily could’ve handed it to D’Andre Swift. Instead, he put the game in his quarterback’s hands — and Williams hit Colston Loveland through the air for a clutch first down. That moment showed Johnson’s complete trust and belief in his young QB, which had to mean a lot to Williams after an up and down day.

The brutal truth about Caleb Williams is that this was always going to take time — and that’s perfectly fine. The Bears are giving him the patience and support to grow, all while stacking wins. Once Williams fully catches up, watch out — because this team is going to be dangerous.