One of the more interesting headlines from last month came right before the Chicago Bears’ first preseason game. They’d held a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins, a great way for the team to measure itself against different competition. Not long after it concluded, reporters covering the Dolphins accused the Bears of being too physical and even outright dirty. Players didn’t apologize for the outcome. They stated that was how they practiced all the time in training camp. They weren’t going to change just because another team was in town. As it turns out, there was more to the story than anybody let on. Ben Johnson was the culprit behind everything.

Dan Wiederer of The Athletic revealed that the Bears’ head coach went into the week with one objective. He wanted his players to have a killer mentality in that practice—no casual conversations between reps. For the two hours of practice, the Dolphins were the enemy. He even found a creative way to get his message across.

That’s a big reason Johnson’s training camp practices this summer were so intense and physical. It’s why, on the night before the Bears hosted a joint practice with the Dolphins, Johnson enlivened the team meeting with a clip from UFC 239 in 2019. At the opening bell of the welterweight main event, Jorge Masvidal ambushed Ben Askren with a flying knee to the jaw, scoring a five-second knockout that was as swift as it was devastating.

Bears players watched and understood Johnson’s intent. They were equally energized to arrive at Halas Hall the next morning with the same footage looping on TVs across the facility.

“Ben was trying to rile guys up. No question,” safety Kevin Byard says. “The message was clear. That was the kind of tone he wanted set.”

Johnson demonstrated a few things with that.

He revealed his mindset as a coach. Beneath the bright smile he flashes, beats a ruthless competitor’s heart. There is no substitute for winning, be it in practice or games. This tactic also demonstrates his clear understanding of player psychology. Football is a warrior sport. You need to approach it with violent and destructive intent. Sportsmanship is secondary.

Ben Johnson is starting to resemble the coaches of Bears past.

There was a point in time when Chicago was a place teams dreaded to play. They always knew it would be a 60-minute war. Even if they won the game, they’d pay a physical price for doing so. George Halas was famous for coaching that mentality. Mike Ditka was as well. The idea was simple. By the end of the game, the Bears will have won one of two things: the game or the fight. Ben Johnson seems to have that same mentality. He’s not just out to win. He is out to humiliate. People can talk about unwritten rules, sportsmanship, and karma. The reality is that most physical teams often have the most success. It is an identity the Bears lost years ago. Johnson intends to bring it back and will use every trick in the book to do so.

The Chicago Bears got great early returns on their first two picks of the draft this summer. Both Colston Loveland and Luther Burden looked terrific in the preseason. Each is expected to contribute in a meaningful fashion right away. However, things get murkier with the two picks after them. Defensive linemen Shemar Turner missed a large portion of training camp with an injury. He’ll be brought along slowly. The bigger mystery (and disappointment for many) is Ozzy Trapilo.

When the Bears selected the big tackle out of Boston College, hopes were high that he could challenge for the starting left tackle job. Things started well in camp. He looked composed and sharp. However, at some point, he hit a wall. Progress wasn’t being made. Rather than push things further, head coach Ben Johnson opted to move him back to right tackle for the time being. Some are already calling it a wasted pick. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune shed some light on the situation. From his vantage point, the Bears’ plans for Trapilo were not about this season.

They have long-term hopes for him.

My guess is most of the folks confused by this situation come from the group that assumed Trapilo would emerge as the starting left tackle. That’s a really difficult adjustment to switch from playing right tackle in college to the left side in the NFL. Trapilo started to struggle while Benedet was coming on, so the coaching staff moved him back to the right side.

This doesn’t mean Trapilo won’t get another look — maybe an extended one — on the left side in the future. We talk at length, especially in Chicago, about the difficulty of quarterback development in the NFL. It’s a huge challenge to develop offensive linemen, too, especially with rules that limit the number and length of practices that can be conducted in full pads. That’s really the only setting to evaluate offensive linemen with any sort of accuracy.

Considering the immense struggles on the offensive line the Bears have endured the last several seasons, adding depth to this group is a good thing. We can all agree on that, right? Trapilo is what I would consider a depth pick with upside. Where he winds up playing — and I think he’ll eventually get on the field — we’ll see.

Ozzy Trapilo is hardly an isolated case.

Asking a rookie to move from right tackle to left tackle sounds simple, but it’s anything but. Ozzy Trapilo spent most of his football career learning the footwork to play one position. Now he was asked to learn the exact opposite in the span of a few months. Believe it or not, most rookies couldn’t handle that. The Bears could’ve forced the issues. Instead, they knew they didn’t have to. They still have Braxton Jones, an established starter on the team. Darnell Wright is set at right tackle. They can afford to bring Trapilo along at a steadier pace. This camp was not a waste. The Bears got a good sense of where the young tackle is in his development. Now they can put a plan in place to help him reach the next level.

Once Matt Eberflus took over play-calling duties in 2023, the Chicago Bears’ defense was a pretty good unit. They played fast, disciplined football focused on turnovers, and when it worked as intended, it was fun to watch. However, fans always had a problem with it. Many felt Eberflus had too many outdated tendencies. He was allergic to blitzing, even when it was clear his pass rush wasn’t functioning. His overreliance on zone coverage also worked against him in late-game situations, making it easier for opposing offenses to find easy completions to move the ball.

While that style of defense has its place, the modern NFL has proven to be far too sophisticated to allow you to rely on it. This isn’t 20 years ago. That is one of the big reasons the Bears hired Dennis Allen as the new defensive coordinator. He earned a reputation in New Orleans for exotic coverages and aggressive blitz packages. He often found ways to confuse quarterbacks and never shied away from attacking. If you didn’t think Bears players hated the Eberflus defense, just watch them speak about Allen’s to Adam Jahns of CHGO.

Tyrique Stevenson:

“The fact that he wants you to challenge at any time – two-minute, end-of-game – we’re never going to play scared,” Stevenson said. “We want you to go out there and show that confidence and show that you’ve been preparing to use your techniques.”

Stevenson loves it.

“It’s definitely part of my game,” he said. “And I definitely appreciate that he’s bringing it back out and allowing the confidence to show when you go out there in coverage. I definitely appreciate (Allen) for bringing that back here and I definitely love the confidence from this coaching staff to go out there and play at a high level.”

Kyler Gordon:

“Being used in all ways except just one,” he said.

Of course, that means the possibility of more blitzing for him.

“It just means more opportunities to affect the quarterback,” Gordon said. “And if I get a chance to do that, I’m definitely going to take that opportunity and make the most of it. The more I get, the more I can do.”

Gervon Dexter:

“(It’s) the ability for me to make plays in this defense, not only in one position but more so, there’s different ways that I can make plays in this defense as a (defensive) tackle,” Dexter said. “And I like to make plays.”

Players clearly felt Matt Eberflus shackled them.

His system had zero flexibility. Everybody had a specific role and must adhere to it, even if they felt capable of doing more. The passive approach undoubtedly rankled them as well. Matt Eberflus would basically let offenses dictate the games, expecting them to make a mistake at some point. That can work sometimes, but not against the better teams in the league. NFL rules today make it far too easy for good quarterbacks and good play-callers to execute efficiently. That is why it is far better to attack. Don’t let opponents find a rhythm. Sure, there are risks of allowing big plays with such an approach, but the trade-off is the chance to force more mistakes. Six of the seven teams that led the league in blitz percentage last year made the playoffs. Four of the last seven Super Bowl champions ranked in the top 10.

Bears players understood there were consequences for Eberflus’ basic style. They didn’t complain because it wouldn’t have been productive. Now free of those shackles, it’s pretty clear how frustrated they were.

The NFL is a unique league compared to other professional sports. There isn’t any divisiveness in the mentality a coach brings to baseball, hockey, or basketball. It doesn’t matter if you’re an offensive guy or a defensive guy. That is the complete opposite in football. People believe that whichever side of the ball you coached as a coordinator or assistant means you will bring a specific identity to the team. Offensive guys are analytical, aggressive, and believe in scoring points. Defensive guys are hard-nosed, disciplined, and focused on ball control and field position. When the Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson, he was obviously expected to fit all the familiar stereotypes.

To a degree, he has. However, it turns out there are extra layers to the young head coach nobody expected. One problem guys run into is an inability to connect with players who play on the opposite side of the ball. Head coaches with offensive backgrounds don’t often know how to coach defensive players. We saw how out of touch Matt Eberflus was with the offense the past three years. Yet according to Dan Wiederer and Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, Johnson has no such problem.

Players would swear he’s a defensive guy at heart if not for his background.

Perhaps most impressive, Johnson’s fiery manner has resonated not just with the offense but also with a receptive group of defensive players, who have quickly come to appreciate their coach’s persistence in establishing an aggressive mindset.

“You see it every day. You feel it in the meetings,” 10th-year safety Kevin Byard said. “Most offensive coaches can be reserved, calm, don’t really connect well with a defensive mentality. But Ben, while he has a great offensive mind, goes about it with a very aggressive, defensive nature. He has a yoked mentality. He thinks like a defensive player who really knows offense.”

Ben Johnson has defensive characteristics, too.

Remember the comment about being hard-nosed and disciplined? Every player in that locker room would tell you this guy checks those boxes. Ben Johnson has been on top of every mistake guys make in practice. There are constant corrections. He expects perfection. It isn’t because of some power trip. Johnson believes this is the only way to give the team the best chance to win. His honesty, while sometimes harsh, is appreciated by guys who are competitive. They want to know the head coach is serious about achieving success. Johnson has stated from day one that his primary objective is to win, and win now. He can’t do that with the offense alone. His job is to coach the team, and he won’t shirk his responsibilities with the defense. Everybody must do their job.

Silence has settled over Halas Hall since the preseason ended. The Chicago Bears haven’t made any notable roster moves other than reshuffling the depth chart and practice squad. Many have wondered if GM Ryan Poles might have plans to make an aggressive move for last-second help for his team going into the opener against Minnesota. He did so last year with the trades for Darrell Taylor and Chris Williams. Thus far, nothing has materialized. It looks like this is the roster the Bears will go into Monday night with.

However, that might soon change. A source informed SM that the Bears have worked the phones and are looking for running back help. Injuries have hindered the position for weeks. Roschon Johnson is dealing with a foot issue, while Kyle Monangai missed the final two preseason games with a soft tissue problem. The name mentioned that Chicago is interested in is Travis Etienne. The former 1st round pick has been productive for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but finds himself in a crowded backfield under a new coaching staff.

Etienne would be a good fit with the Chicago Bears.

What stands out immediately with him is the versatility. He’s a big, solid back who can run the ball between the tackles. What separates him from others is how good he is in the passing game. Etienne has 132 catches across three seasons. He cracked 1,000 yards in his first two years. Jacksonville faces a dilemma, though. His contract situation is coming up, and they may not want to pay him. Don’t forget they also have Tank Bigsby and drafted two more running backs in April. Unloading Etienne for some draft capital might be the best thing for the team from a business standpoint. The Chicago Bears have every reason to explore this possibility. While they may not want/be able to pay him, he would significantly boost their rushing attack. It all depends on whether the Jaguars are willing to pull the trigger.

GM Ryan Poles said in a recent video that he remains concerned about the Chicago Bears’ left tackle situation. Braxton Jones managed to retain the job after an extended competition in camp. However, he didn’t exactly do it convincingly. He was aided by some fortunate breaks, like Kiran Amegadjie getting hurt and Ozzy Trapilo struggling with the transition from right tackle. That left the Bears with only one logical option. So despite clear signs he’s not 100% healthy, Jones will start the opener against Minnesota.

Yet head coach Ben Johnson made it clear that no final decision has been made. Depending on how things unfold, there could be some changes. Most took that to mean they might go back to Amegadjie or Trapilo as options. Then again, there is always the outside chance that they will seek an alternative in the veteran market. Sure enough, news broke that the Bears planned to work out 31-year-old Zach Banner, a former 4th round pick of the Indianapolis Colts who appeared in 30 games between 2017 and 2021.

Ryan Poles might be doing the work for Johnson and Dan Roushar.

At first glance, Chicago’s interest in Banner is difficult to understand. He has only started two games in his career. All told, he’s logged 87 regular season snaps, allowing seven pressures and one sack. What jumped out about him in the draft was his incredible size: 6’8, 350 lbs, and near-35-inch arms. Banner had a reputation as a punishing run blocker, having paved the way for USC stars like Ronald Jones and Javorius Allen.

Ryan Poles would not see him as a possible starting option at left tackle unless Johnson and Roushar see something other teams don’t. The likely idea is that the Bears want more size up front, somebody who can help the ground attack as an extra blocker. Johnson has done this in the past, as seen in Detroit’s playoff victory over the Rams. Banner could fill that role if the Bears aren’t sure about their other options.

You know it’s almost football season when the first injury report of the year drops. Since the Chicago Bears are playing Monday night, theirs didn’t arrive until Thursday afternoon. It certainly revealed certain details that shape the picture. First, the good news. Star cornerback Jaylon Johnson practiced in a limited capacity. That raises the possibility that he might be able to make it to the opener despite missing all of training camp with a groin injury. From there, things get a little more dicey.

The situation at running back continues to raise concerns. Right now, D’Andre Swift is still their only healthy body on the main roster. Kyle Monangai is dealing with a hamstring issue, while Roschon Johnson hasn’t practiced for weeks due to a foot problem. It is hard to imagine the Bears not making some sort of move at running back in the next couple of days, be it a veteran signing or (more likely) elevating someone from the practice squad.

Lastly, it appears linebacker T.J. Edwards is in danger of missing the opener. He came up lame in practice last week and doesn’t seem to have made progress. That would be a tough blow to their run defense.

The Chicago Bears face some tough challenges.

Losing Edwards is probably the biggest concern. They were already hurting at linebacker with Amen Ogbongbemiga going on Injured Reserve. This means 4th round rookie Ruben Hyppolite and former backup Noah Sewell could see serious action in this game. It could be problematic against Aaron Jones, who always gives the Chicago Bears trouble. As to the running back issue, head coach Ben Johnson has a track record of getting the most from whoever he has in the backfield. His system is proven and reliable. Swift should still be effective. The challenge is finding somebody who can give him a few plays off. Hopefully Monangai is healthy enough for that. Otherwise, Brittain Brown might be the name to watch.