The Chicago Bears have never been an organization known for great offenses. Head coach Ben Johnson has made it his mission to change that. Winning Super Bowls is the top priority. That won’t change. However, Johnson has other goals beyond that. He wants to build a legacy for himself and his players that people will talk about for generations. One of them is becoming the highest-scoring offense in NFL history. That honor is currently held by the 2013 Denver Broncos, who scored a record 606 points.

If you think that was just Johnson thinking big in the moment, you’d be wrong. He reiterated a similar goal when asked this week. The objective for 2026 is crystal clear. This offense plans to score every time it’s on the field.

“Well, it’s a responsibility of the offense to score every time we hit the grass, so that’s how we view it. Of course, there is complementary football. We would love to get a lead and protect a lead. If we don’t happen to play that way and we’re behind, we got to find a way to come back from behind, so we will find out a lot about this team.”

Scoring on every drive basically means the Bears would have to get at least a field goal every time they get the ball. That means averaging 3.00 points per drive for a season. For context, only 9 teams in NFL history have accomplished this feat. Eight of those nine had a Hall of Fame quarterback under center.

Ben Johnson will need Caleb Williams to be great.

The Bears already took a step in the right direction. Last season marked the highest the franchise has ever had on a per-drive basis, averaging 2.26. That beat out the 2013 team’s 2.19. If they could accomplish that in Johnson’s first year as head coach, you can understand why excitement is so high for year two. If quarterback Caleb Williams takes the big step many believe he can in this system, the entire offense will benefit. That doesn’t include the ascent of other young talents like Colston Loveland and Luther Burden.

Urgency will also play a part in this. Ben Johnson won’t ever say it publicly, but he’s not naive. He knows the Bears are in a dubious situation defensively. The group wasn’t overly good last season despite leading the league in takeaways. It doesn’t look as if the unit improved much on paper. Two of their key guys in the secondary are out for at least another month. It isn’t just about wanting to score for Johnson. They will need to score if they’re to win most of these upcoming games.

Conditions are right for a big year.

The talent on the roster is reaching that perfect balance of youth and experience. They have one of the two or three best play callers in the game and a quarterback that can make magic happen when things break down. If everybody stays healthy, the numbers should add up quickly. Admittedly, aiming for that rare 3.00 points per drive is ambitious, but that’s the point. Johnson always wants his team to shoot for the moon. Even if you don’t reach it, you’ll end up going sky high anyway.

This is an odd period for Bears football. For decades, they’ve been a franchise known for great defenses and strong running games. Not anymore. A new era has dawned, one defined by scoring points to win. That is the way most teams do it these days. Johnson probably prefers it that way. If you think you can outscore him, then get ready for war. Few in this league are better at making you earn it.

The Chicago Bears are laser-focused on their Week 1 matchup with the Carolina Panthers. Head coach Ben Johnson doesn’t care much for what happens across the league. He can’t afford to. However, if he had peeked at the league’s national opener on Wednesday night between last season’s Super Bowl participants, he would have noticed major happenings. By far the biggest was the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks losing their quarterback, Sam Darnold, mere minutes into the season to a reported hip injury.

It was bad enough that he didn’t return. What made it worse were the initial comments from medical experts. The most credible was David Chao, a former NFL doctor. He believes Darnold may have suffered a hip fracture. If it’s as bad as he fears, there is a strong likelihood that the quarterback will miss the remainder of the 2026 season. That would leave the Seahawks’ offense in the hands of backup Drew Lock, a devastating proposition in that loaded NFC West. It also drastically alters the Bears’ fortunes.

The Chicago Bears play the Seahawks later this year.

They visit the Pacific Northwest on November 2nd in Seattle. Most circled that game as a huge litmus test for this team with massive ramifications for the NFC playoff picture. Facing Lock instead of Darnold would be an unquestioned break for the Bears. Scoring on that Seahawks defense is always tough. Darnold was a big reason why the team won so many games. He often put them ahead, allowing said defense to tee off on opponents. That advantage is long gone if he’s done for the year.

It wasn’t limited to Seattle, either. The New England Patriots are another team the Chicago Bears play this season. In fact, they play them the week before the Seahawks. They just got done swinging a huge trade for wide receiver A.J. Brown this offseason. So it probably wasn’t ideal to see him limp off the field with an ankle injury and not return. If it’s serious, New England just lost arguably the best offensive weapon they have. Not great considering how poor their offense looked in that game.

Those injury updates could prove massive.

Best guess is Brown’s probably isn’t too serious. If it’s not broken, he will likely be back long before the Bears play New England. Darnold is the big one. It sure sounds like the injury wasn’t good. He is the linchpin of Seattle’s entire structure. Without him, there is no way the Seahawks can hold off Los Angeles and San Francisco in that division. Given what we know about the Bears from last season, they are unlikely to show them any mercy if it turns out that way. It’s kill or be killed in this league.

The next 24 hours will be the most telling. If the situation is bad, there will likely be an update within that time frame. If Darnold is done for the year, arguably the hardest part of the Bears’ schedule suddenly gets a bit easier. You never wish for someone to get hurt. Still, such an outcome would be a massive benefit to this team. Something to monitor as the team prepares for opening day.

Head coach Ben Johnson loved the progress quarterback Caleb Williams made last season. Many of the issues that had plagued him as a rookie had been ironed out. His footwork was better. His pocket presence was better. The process at the line of scrimmage was better. It wasn’t perfect, but it was pointed in the right direction. However, there was one lingering issue that stuck in Johnson’s craw. Dan Wiederer of The Athletic reported that the head coach couldn’t get over the fact that the Bears only completed 40% of their passing attempts outside the pocket.

Having that with a quarterback who is widely revered for his scrambling ability is unacceptable. Something was clearly wrong with the operation, and Johnson aimed to spend the summer fixing it. Things started with the obvious points. Williams had to be better with his communication and at putting the ball where his receivers had a shot. Conversely, the coaches have been on the receivers about showing more urgency to get back to the ball when Williams scrambles. Still, that alone wasn’t enough for Johnson. He needed an example, and there was none better than a certain quarterback who used to play up north.

Ben Johnson utilized Aaron Rodgers film to illustrate what he wanted.

As sacrilegious as this might sound to devout Bears fans, Johnson was equipped inside Halas Hall this offseason with Green Bay Packers highlights as a teach tape. That’s nothing new around the league with peak Aaron Rodgers, a four-time league MVP, propped up as a maestro with elite ability to orchestrate an entire offense through an extended play.

The Packers’ archived videos speak for themselves.

“They were very defined with what they were doing,” Johnson says. “You could tell they coached it. You could tell Aaron really believed this was a big play waiting to happen — whether it’s a throw down the field or whether it’s a chance for (defensive pass interference). And all their guys reacted that way.”

Johnson knew exactly which button to push.

Facts are facts. Rodgers is public enemy #1 in Chicago and probably will be for many years to come. He tortured this fanbase for far too long. Just the idea of his game film being used as teach tape feels wrong somehow. Greasy. However, Johnson is not the type of coach to get hung up on things like that. He is interested in results, not petty squabbles. He hates Rodgers, too. What better way to sully his legacy than by using his greatness to make the Bears a better football team?

Besides, it isn’t an accident that Ben Johnson chose the former Packers legend. There are plenty of quarterbacks who have been great at scramble drills. Josh Allen is one. Patrick Mahomes is another. You could go back to John Elway and Fran Tarkenton if you want. Why Rodgers? That is because he was Williams’ favorite player growing up. The Bears’ quarterback modeled his own game after him. If you want to get his attention when coaching, tell him, “This is how Rodgers did it.”

Rodgers certainly knew one thing.

He understood the balance between staying in the pocket and using his legs to improvise. It never felt like he leaned too heavily on the latter. This is a common problem more mobile quarterbacks face. They were so good at evading pressure with their speed that it became second nature to do so when pressure set in. Williams is no different. It is what made him great. The problem is you can’t get away with that in the NFL as much. Guys are way too fast and disciplined. Play with a pocket mentality and only leave when it’s clear there are no options available.

If you go back and watch Rodgers, you’ll probably see his scrambles were more about the coverage than the pressure. He scrambled to give his receivers time to find openings. Otherwise, he used his footwork to navigate the pocket and avoid pressure. It is why he was so maddening to defend. Williams is more than capable of playing the same way. Ben Johnson is counting on that.

The Chicago Bears named their captains for the 2026 season this week. On the defensive side, those honors went to linebacker T.J. Edwards and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. That isn’t a big surprise. Both men are well-established veterans with track records of excellent leadership. However, it’s possible both might be playing their final season in Chicago, given their respective ages. If that is the case, the team must start thinking about who might replace them down the line. If you ask undrafted rookie Jayden Loving, he’d probably tell you to watch out for Jordan Van Den Berg.

That might seem odd to hear, given that the guy is a 6th-round draft pick heading into his first season. What would compel Loving to think that way? It started right after the NFL draft in April. Gabby Hajduk of Chicagobears.com discovered that Van Den Berg got word that the Bears were signing Loving as an undrafted free agent. Where someone would’ve felt threatened by the team adding another defensive tackle, he saw an opportunity. Not just to help Loving, but himself as well.

Jayden Loving quickly learned Van Den Berg is a team-first guy.

On the final day of the NFL Draft, April 25, the Bears selected Van den Berg out of Georgia Tech in the sixth round. Later that day, Loving — an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest — signed with the team. Having played against the Demon Deacons during the 2025 season, Van den Berg recognized Loving’s name and felt inclined to reach out.

“We both played in the ACC, and I felt like we both play with a lot of great effort, very similar players,” Van den Berg said. “So I thought iron sharpens iron. Let me connect with someone that can push me, I can push him.

“It would be a win-win situation.”…

…”As soon as we met each other, we were like, ‘okay, this is how we’re gonna lay it out,'” Loving said. “I feel like I’m a big believer of speaking into existence. We said, ‘We’re both going to make the 53.’

“It’s literally what we kept telling each other. So we came to work with that same mindset every day. Like, we’re here to go kill. Kill or be killed, and we’re here to go kill.”

Van Den Berg’s efforts bore fruit.

Everybody quickly became enamored with the 6th round pick as he dominated one-on-one drills. It got to a point where Bears coaches couldn’t justify keeping him with the backups any longer. They shifted him to working with the starters and he never went back. All the while, no one really noticed what was happening with Loving. Though he did well in practice, the undrafted free agent saved his best for the preseason, where he delivered a strip sack and 5 pressures, including one that led directly to an interception.

Despite that, most didn’t think the Bears would have enough room to keep Jayden Loving. There were only so many spots available at defensive tackle. However, the decision to trade Gervon Dexter changed that. It opened a void at the position, which coaches decided to fill with the two rookies. All those months of supporting each other had paid off. It is easily one of the coolest stories of the summer, and clear evidence that Van Den Berg might be destined for big things in Chicago.

You usually notice the future leaders right away.

While Brian Urlacher was an obvious future star, safety Mike Brown was the one who made his voice heard right away from that 2000 draft class. Everybody saw the leader Kyle Long would be from the moment he walked into Halas Hall in 2013. The same was true of Eddie Jackson in 2017 and David Montgomery in 2019. Some guys just have those particular personality traits that stand out. Van Den Berg might not have that voice yet because of Jarrett’s presence, but it feels like only a matter of time.

Loving can already attest to the influence his teammate had. Remember, Van Den Berg had zero reasons to reach out. They literally become teammates within a day of each other. This wasn’t a veteran reaching out to a rookie. However, Van Den Berg did it anyway. That is just the type of person he is. No wonder the Bears coaches already love him. The guy goes above and beyond to make himself and those around him better.

The Kyler Gordon situation has devolved into something beyond frustrating for fans and team alike. The Chicago Bears fully expected the cornerback to finally be healthy going into training camp this year after missing 14 games in 2025. Instead, they were told that Gordon was dealing with a calf strain. One apparently severe enough to keep him out of camp and the first four games of the regular season. This bizarre situation has left many speculating about what is really going on. Calf problems don’t take months to heal.

Of course, Gordon’s representatives have worked hard to insist their client is working tirelessly to get back. He’s posting workout videos. Even Ian Rapoport tried to do him a favor by reporting that he expected him to return a few weeks into the season. Anybody with common sense can see this is one side desperately doing damage control. Gordon’s camp knows this ongoing absence looks worse with each passing day. Opinions have steadily shifted from concern about his health to genuine assumptions that the cornerback just isn’t interested in playing.

Kyler Gordon is fast proving a theory about Ryan Poles.

The Bears GM had mixed results through his first couple of offseasons. While he seemed to have a sharp eye for talent in a physical sense, some of his moves demonstrated a glaring lack of clarity regarding a player’s mental fortitude. Most notable was their passion and intensity for the game. Or lack thereof. The first glaring example was Nate Davis. Poles loved the big guard from Tennessee as a free agent because of his size and athleticism. It became apparent almost immediately that Davis was marginally committed at best. There was always some minor problem that kept him out of practice and games.

Sound familiar? It sure is starting to feel like Kyler Gordon is the same. Ever since getting his new contract, just like Davis, he seems to have lost interest in playing. In hindsight, it was always interesting that head coach Ben Johnson said that, when evaluating players moving forward, the emphasis was a strict focus on passion for the game. How much does this guy or that guy love football? It’s possible Johnson saw the fatal flaw in Poles’ evaluation process and has since corrected it.

Sadly, it won’t do much for the Gordon situation.

This feels like a career dying a slow death.

At one point, just over a year ago, Gordon looked like an ascending player. He was so good when on the field, looking like one of the best nickel cornerbacks in football. Somehow, in that short period of time, he managed to lose all credibility and alienate himself from the fans. The ongoing silence is only making matters worse. It’d be one thing for Gordon to reveal the real problem. His refusal to say anything seems to lend more and more credence to the theory that he is looking for a way out of football.

At least Drew Dalman was classy enough to just retire. It hurt, but the Bears were given a clear path to travel. This mysterious absence isn’t helping his case at all. The team certainly isn’t waiting for him anymore. They’ve made multiple moves in the past few months to start the process of moving on. Malik Muhammad arrived in the draft. Now they’ve traded for Clark Phillips. If either can establish themself in the slot, Gordon won’t have a job to return to. He will be nothing more than a harsh lesson about why learning a player’s passion for the game is so important.