After the 2025 season ended, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson was asked how the team could build on the momentum of such a successful run heading into 2026. Johnson shook his head. There would be no riding a wave into next year. In his mind, the Bears would be starting over from scratch. They’d have to climb the mountain again from the bottom. It was an odd response. Previous head coaches would’ve agreed that they must maintain the trajectory and use that success to build confidence and so on.

So why is Johnson so prickly when asked questions about last year? Well, the head coach finally heard enough and decided to provide a clear answer. It comes down to the reality of today’s NFL. This 2026 Bears team isn’t the same one that finished last season. Several of the key players who helped that squad are gone. D.J. Moore? Traded. Tremaine Edmunds? Released. Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, and Nahshon Wright? Left in free agency. Johnson wants to focus on the players here now. These are the guys who will help the Bears win.

“Listen all I care about is, ‘does it help us win or not?’.. the guys that aren’t out there, they’re not helping us win. I want to talk about the guys that are out there helping us right now. I want stories to be written about those guys. We have 90 guys on the roster right now, a lot of which are fighting for their professional careers and their stories are incredible. Talking about last year, isn’t going to help us win.”

Ben Johnson has a fundamental understanding of modern football.

In many ways, people still cling to the old ways of thinking in that the team you put on the field one year will be the same team the next year. That was largely true in the early years of the Super Bowl era. Back then, teams maintained much greater control over their players. There was no free agency, and the only way to add talent was via the draft or trades. Thus, it was far more common to see players stay on the same roster for more than four or five years. That isn’t the case anymore. Especially these days.

Roster turnover has become a fact of life in today’s NFL. It isn’t uncommon to see a third of your roster overturned during an offseason. The best teams are no longer the ones that just build an incredible lineup and ride it out. You have to assemble a strong core of great players and then constantly build and rebuild around them from year to year. Ben Johnson understands this reality. He saw it play out in both Miami and Detroit as an assistant. That is why he can’t waste precious time dwelling on last year.

This is why the Bears are in good hands.

Thinking about the past is part of why this organization hasn’t been able to win consistently for years. It is so focused on tradition and the glory days that they haven’t adapted to the times. Johnson recognized that from the moment he arrived. It is why he has spent every waking hour working to change the mindset. The present and future. Those are the only two things that matter. Nothing about the past helps you win. It’s a distraction. You can reminisce after you retire. Until then, keep your eyes on the prize.

Reporters may not like this. They want to keep the magic of such a memorable season alive as long as possible. It makes for great reading. That isn’t Johnson’s problem. His goal isn’t patting himself on the back for a season that, in his mind, was a failure. Until he’s hoisting that Lombardi trophy over his head with confetti everywhere, any discussion outside of winning games is pointless.

Chicago Bears fans remember the moment well. The team had just lost a tough game in Houston to the Texans. Quarterback Caleb Williams, playing in just his second game, struggled. He threw two interceptions and took seven sacks. After the final whistle, Williams went onto the field to shake hands. There, fellow quarterback C.J. Stroud attempted to give him some advice. It amounted to telling him to stop taking so many sacks and keep his chin up. Most saw it as an attempt by Stroud to big-brother a quarterback, despite being in his second season himself.

Williams had to be wondering what he might say if put in a similar position down the line. Sure enough, he was offered that opportunity on Friday. The Bears had just concluded a joint practice against the Tennessee Titans. Williams was asked if he had any advice for quarterback Cam Ward, a fellow former #1 overall pick who’d struggled in his rookie season on a rebuilding team. Rather than give bland platitudes, the Bears quarterback decided to keep it simple. His advice?

Believe in Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and trust the process.

Caleb Williams was correct in his assessment.

Daboll may not have had a great run as head coach of the New York Giants, but the man is unquestioned as an offensive coordinator. For nearly the past decade, he’s done tremendous work developing young quarterbacks. In 2017, he won a national championship at Alabama, molding Tua Tagovailoa into an eventual 1st round draft pick. Then he went to Buffalo, where he oversaw the rise of Josh Allen into arguably the best quarterback in football today. He even squeezed a career-best season out of Daniel Jones in 2022 while making the playoffs.

Caleb Williams knew all of this. From his point of view, the smart thing to do is listen to what Daboll has to say and trust that he has your best interests at heart as a quarterback. The last thing Ward should do is try telling a coach with that kind of reputation how to do things the right way. It’s like what Bill Walsh told Steven Young many years ago. Just follow the instructions and you can play quarterback in the NFL. It is the same for Ward. Don’t overthink it. Let Daboll guide the way.

Williams is speaking from experience, after all.

He knew Ben Johnson’s reputation as an offensive coordinator when the man arrived as the new head coach in 2025. However, after the miserable experience he’d just had as a rookie, one could understand if the quarterback was a bit skeptical at first. Johnson didn’t tiptoe around the issue. He had a frank conversation with the quarterback about what must be done and how they would do it. After some hesitation, Williams embraced the process and began seeing results midway through last season. Since then, he’s been all in.

It will likely be the same for Ward. He has more than enough talent to be a great player in this league. The flashes were there even last season. Like Williams, he must learn to play the position with his head as much as his arms and legs. That is what Daboll is there to help with. If the two develop a tight relationship similar to Williams and Johnson, success won’t be far behind.

The Chicago Bears are about to cut their roster from 90 to 53 over the next several days. Head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles are focused on that. Any thoughts of the 2027 NFL draft are way down the priority list. Still, NFL teams always must keep one eye on the future. They already have a pretty good idea of where this roster is weak and what they may have to do come next spring. So do fans. The question is always how they’ll go about addressing it.

According to ESPN, the Bears will finally address one of their most problematic positions in the 1st round. However, it may not be the one many people want.

16. Chicago Bears

Jordan Seaton, OT, LSU*

Ozzy Trapilo has recovered remarkably quickly from a torn patellar tendon, but there will still be questions about how long that injury will linger and his overall upside at left tackle. Until we know how well Trapilo will play, left tackle should be viewed as a huge question mark in Chicago. Seaton is an easy-moving pass protector who plays with excellent balance. He still needs to work on his hand placement, but his raw tools could eventually make him the top offensive tackle in next year’s class if he performs well against an SEC schedule.

Left tackle has consistently been an issue for this team for years. Even during the somewhat steady era of Charles Leno Jr., it was never really a strength. Having endured two years of training camp battles, ESPN thinks Johnson will finally say enough is enough and grab his guy in this draft. No more Braxton Jones or Theo Benedet. No more health uncertainty with Ozzy Trapilo.

The Chicago Bears are playing with fire if they do this.

Yes, the left tackle position is hugely important on any football team. Finding a good one to protect your quarterback is so important. The problem is that such a decision would further a growing problem for the Bears—namely, their lack of a difference-making defensive lineman. The Bears have not drafted a defensive line prospect in the 1st round since 2016. A decade ago. If you want to get technical, you could argue Leonard Floyd and Shea McClellin were both linebackers. That means you’d have to go back to 2004 with Tommie Harris.

If you’re wondering why this team always seems to struggle rushing the passer, it starts there. It is incredibly difficult to build a good defensive line if you don’t invest 1st-round picks in it. The Chicago Bears have tried to get by on a mix of later picks, free agents, and a big trade. While Montez Sweat has worked out well, the rest of their moves have, for the most part, disappointed. Gervon Dexter was a solid 2nd round selection, but he hasn’t been good enough to consider a second contract. Zacch Pickens? Grady Jarrett? Dayo Odeyingbo? All have underachieved.

You can’t win Super Bowls with offense alone.

Ben Johnson has said he aims to build a dynasty. Well, the last two had the same thing in common. They were able to pair great offense with good-to-great defense. Right now, the Bears have neither. They’re very close to a great offense. The defense? Not so much. They have holes in too many key spots, especially up front. Until they get serious about investing top draft resources into that side of the ball, they can’t expect to get past the NFC’s elite come January.

With all that being said, if the Bears were to land a true franchise tackle with that pick, it’d be difficult to argue against the decision. The best offenses in history tend to have great left tackles. Chicago proved that in the 1980s with Jimbo Covert. The search for his heir has been an ongoing process for almost 40 years. If that is the direction they decide to go, maybe this time will be different.

Ben Johnson initially comes across as your classic throwback coach. He is interested in physical, violent football built around a run-first mentality. He wants to own the line of scrimmage and impose his will on the opponent. However, that would make you think he’s somewhat conservative by nature. That couldn’t be further from the truth. There are few coaches more aggressive and daring than the Chicago Bears‘ leader. That is especially true when it comes to cooking up plays.

Johnson has earned a reputation over the past four years as one of the most creative minds in the sport when it comes to gadget plays. Normally, he doesn’t show those things in public practices, but apparently, he made an exception on Thursday against the Titans. He hit Tennessee with not one but two trick plays.

The first looked like a stretch handoff to the right side, only for the running back to throw the ball back to quarterback Caleb Williams, who fired it to a wide-open Colston Loveland.

The other came in a goal-line drill. Williams was under center in a jumbo formation. He fakes a hand off to Kyle Monangai and then fakes a reverse toss to wide receiver Kalif Raymond. At the same time, Cole Kmet sells a block before leaking into the end zone, where Williams found him wide open for the score.

Ben Johnson must be pretty confident if he’s doing that.

One can only imagine how big his binder of trick plays actually is if he’s throwing a double pass and a double-fake reverse out there for everybody to see. Then again, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Johnson has long come across as somebody confident enough in his creativity not to sweat other teams maybe noticing one or two things about his offense. Besides, one must remember who we’re dealing with. Nobody is better at baiting opponents than Johnson. His favorite thing to do is show you a certain formation and run the same play from it several times, then run something completely different from the same formation when you aren’t expecting it.

It’s possible Ben Johnson ran those two gadget plays to let all of the other teams watching, and he knows they are, see the formations used. This way, when the Bears show those formations in the upcoming games, defenses will immediately deploy countermeasures to defend those trick plays—just one problem. Johnson will have a trap laid where the ball doesn’t go where they’re expecting. Only a sicko like him would lay such a land mine in a joint practice during the preseason.

Much more craziness is still to come.

Johnson knows that games and even seasons can sometimes pivot on successfully executed trick plays. Everybody remembers the famous flea flicker touchdown to Luther Burden against Dallas. This head coach doesn’t do this stuff just for the fun of it. He understands the power trick plays can hold. The hard part is learning when to deploy them and how to execute them correctly. There have been many instances over the past decade in which the Bears wasted a prime opportunity due to poor execution.

Whatever the case, don’t expect Johnson to lean on smoke and mirrors. The trick plays are merely another layer to his offensive attack. The Bears will stick to what they do well. Run the ball, play action, and attack down the field. It worked for them last year. It will work for them again. The gadgets play like seasoning on a fine steak. Only meant to enhance the flavor.

Holding joint practices with the Chicago Bears is not for the faint of heart. At least it’s looking that way more and more. Fans probably remember last year when they held a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins. Both Miami players and media called the Bears out for being too physical in drills, delivering hard hits, and constantly going full tackle. Some called it a fake tough guy act. It didn’t take long to realize that the Bears played the same way. They aimed to induce violence in the opponent. The best way to instill that mentality is through practice.

One year later, and not much has changed. The Bears held a joint practice with the Tennessee Titans in Nashville on Thursday. All reports confirmed it was a physical affair, with lots of hitting and chirping. Things finally reached a boiling point when safety Xavier Woods, recently signed by the Bears, laid out Titans wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. His Tennessee teammates took exception to the hit despite the refs throwing flags immediately, and a brawl ensued. Coaches quickly intervened before it got out of hand.

The Chicago Bears certainly drew the ire of Tennessee.

New Titans head coach Robert Saleh didn’t mince words, calling the hit “cheap” after practice ended. Other players were heated about it. Woods hasn’t commented on the incident yet, nor has head coach Ben Johnson. It remains pretty clear that the Bears remain unapologetic about their approach. The Titans knew going into this practice that Chicago had a reputation for going full speed in drills. If they weren’t up for something like that, they shouldn’t have scheduled the practice.

To their credit, Tennessee did far less whining about it than Miami did last year. That is probably thanks to Saleh. While he may not have appreciated the hit, he has always been a hard-nosed coach. He’d appreciate some proper thumping in practice. In the end, it was good for both teams. The Chicago Bears got to test themselves against another opponent. The Titans got a welcome reminder of the intensity they must display to win this upcoming season.

This upcoming preseason finale will be interesting.

With two joint practices and a preseason outing under their belt, it feels unlikely that the Bears will play any of their starters on Saturday. The goal now is getting as many guys healthy as possible before they head to Carolina for the opener. That means it will be a backup-fest in Nashville. That is probably fine since the Bears still have several roster battles left to sort out. Final spots at running back, wide receiver, edge rusher, linebacker, and cornerback remain up for grabs.

No doubt Coach Johnson is eager to end on a high note after that frustrating loss in Cincinnati last week. He’ll want more points and fewer penalties. More than anything, he expects everybody to bring their best. Preseason game or not, there is no excuse for giving a second-rate effort. Will Tennessee bring that same energy after what happened at practice? We’ll soon find out.

An avalanche of injuries last season swamped the Chicago Bears‘ defense. It started even before training camp and just kept going all season long. They couldn’t buy a break. Half of their projected starters missed at least half of the year. It was hoped that 2026 would be different. Sadly, the football gods aren’t feeling merciful. The tone was set early in training camp when high-priced free agent safety Coby Bryant suffered a knee injury. Subsequent surgery means he will be out for the next two months.

Things haven’t gotten better since. Two key defensive linemen, Austin Booker and Gervon Dexter, are now dealing with hamstring and groin issues, respectively. They won’t be in Tennessee for the preseason finale. Considering how questionable the depth is up front, that isn’t ideal.

However, it gets worse. During the joint practice with the Titans, the Bears saw two more key starters exit and not return. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson seemed to nurse an injury to his right arm while cornerback Tyrique Stevenson suffered a leg problem. Mercifully, Stevenson did eventually return, but his health was a question mark even before this.

This is a nightmare scenario for the Chicago Bears defense.

Cornerback was supposed to be the strength of this team. Instead, injuries have made it a potential weakness. Remember, the Bears were already operating without Kyler Gordon, who has missed every practice since the offseason began. Now your other two projected starters are ailing. Depending on how bad it is, this team could be looking at a starting lineup of Malik Muhammad, Cam Lewis, and Josh Blackwell on opening day in Carolina. That is, unless Lewis has to replace Bryant at safety, in which case you’re looking at Jaylon Jones or Terell Smith.

Considering the state of the pass rush, that is a disaster in the making, no matter how clever Dennis Allen is at scheming. The only saving grace for the Chicago Bears defense at this point is that there are still a little over two weeks until the regular season begins. That gives guys enough time to rest and hopefully heal those injuries. At this point, the only goal for this team should be getting everybody to opening day. Starting the year on the road with a defense akin to Swiss cheese is asking for trouble.

The Bears are walking a very dangerous line.

At some point, one must ask if there is something flawed with their conditioning process. Having so many soft-tissue injuries suggests a flaw in the team’s conditioning and recovery process. If nothing else, this recent scare reinforces how tenuous the depth situation is for the Bears’ secondary. They did add Beanie Bishop as a free agent recently, but he will be suspended for the first three games of the season. Perhaps it might be prudent to add a little more veteran depth. Especially given the team’s recent luck.

Veterans like Tre’Davious White, Kenny Moore, and Adoree Jackson remain available. None of them are at their peaks anymore, but it isn’t crazy to think they can help in an emergency. Much will depend on the overall health status of Jaylon and Stevenson after practice concludes. If both can be counted on to be ready for the opener, the team may decide to stand pat. If not? Expect some kind of move in the next couple of days.