Caleb Williams vs. Jayden Daniels was a hot topic throughout 2024. Some wondered if the more experienced Daniels should’ve been the Chicago Bears‘ choice at #1 overall. He’d just won the Heisman trophy. It certainly didn’t help that he immediately led the Washington Commanders from the NFL basement to the NFC Championship game as a rookie. He was lauded as charismatic, approachable, and on the cutting edge of quarterbacking thanks to his embracing of VR training. Daniels was the next big thing. Williams went 5-12, got sacked 68 times, and was slandered by reports of him being a diva and even dyslexic.

It’s clear who got the better quarterback.

Well, apparently, a lot can change in a year. Williams ascended in 2025, throwing for 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions while leading the Bears to a division title. It was highlighted by seven 4th quarter comebacks along the way, including a 21-3 comeback over Green Bay in the wild card round. Daniels saw his season ended early by injuries, a concern many had about him pre-draft. Things only got worse from there. Many started criticizing him for letting his mother constantly interfere with anything.

Now he may have harmed that “good guy” image irreparably when he informed LSU that they could no longer use his Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) in anything after allowing a cornerback to wear his #5 jersey. People see it as a profound case of insecurity and an inflated ego.

Caleb Williams has operated on a totally different wavelength.

While Daniels has been warring with the program that helped make him a star, the Bears quarterback has taken every opportunity to give back to his. Williams has been present at USC even after departing for the NFL. He even famously attended the team’s most recent pro day this spring and considered throwing at the event when players asked him. That tells you how dedicated and loyal he remains to the program. He’s always looking for ways to give back. It makes you wonder how much of Daniels’ aw-shucks routine is real or performance.

Whatever the case, it is pretty clear the narrative has flipped between the two. Caleb Williams has become the fan favorite thanks to his death-defying play style and easy-going personality. Daniels is still a good player. There is no reason to think he can’t get back on track. That said, it feels like his image has taken some serious lumps over the past several months. That squeaky-clean reputation looks a little more tarnished. If nothing else, the two are finally being judged on equal footing.

Williams may have the decisive advantage now.

Washington showed serious problems last season. Much of it came from how old their roster was. It came back to bite them. They fired offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury for puzzling reasons this offseason, forcing Daniels to start over with David Blough, who has never called an offense before. If that weren’t bad enough, left tackle Laremy Tunsil was lost for the season to a torn triceps. The situation around Daniels looks shakier than ever. Meanwhile, things are solidifying for Williams.

Ben Johnson is entrenched as the head coach and offensive play caller. The offensive line is laden with established veterans. He has an emerging star tight end in Colston Loveland and a deep roster of talented young wide receivers. This is the best situation any Bears quarterback has been in for decades. His training camp has gone extremely well by all accounts. It feels like this will be the year he makes a definitive statement about who the best really is.

The Chicago Bears were confident the right decision was made when they extended Kyler Gordon. After all, every time he’d been on the field showed that he had a case for being the best nickel cornerback in the NFL. That is the type of player you should work hard to keep. Unfortunately, even back then, there were signs that Gordon was slightly injury-prone. Still, it had never been enough to set off alarm bells. That all changed in 2025 when a series of soft-tissue problems knocked him out for 14 games.

A bad ligament or bone injury is one thing. Those are tough to avoid. Soft tissue injuries, on the other hand? Players who keep themselves in good condition and follow the proper diet usually don’t have persistent hamstring, calf, or other muscular issues. Still, it was felt that a full offseason to rest would be enough to get Gordon back on track. Instead, the cornerback landed on the PUP list and has shown no signs of returning anytime soon. Adam Hoge of CHGO revealed on 104.3 The Score that feelings inside the locker room are reaching a boiling point.

He went so far as to compare Gordon to Nate Davis, the former guard who also suffered nagging injuries that seemed to always keep him sidelined.

Kyler Gordon is in territory he does not want to be.

For those who may have forgotten, here’s a quick recap. The Bears signed Davis in 2023 to a three-year, $30 million contract to become their new starting right guard. Almost immediately, he was dealing with health problems. He barely practiced all summer. Then, once the season began, he stepped away from the team after one game for “personal” reasons. David returned, played four games, and injured his ankle, landing on IR. Though he finished the season after returning, it already turned some off to him. It didn’t get better in 2024. Again, he barely practiced in camp and never seemed overly determined to get back. Finally, after five games, the Bears cut him.

Not exactly the type of player, or person, that you want to be compared to. Kyler Gordon at least built up some credibility inside the locker room through his first couple of seasons. Unfortunately, that can erode fast in the NFL. Missing 14 games last year was bad enough. Not being ready for training camp and still not returning after two weeks? Yeah, it is easy to understand why people are getting tired of the excuses. It doesn’t matter how many workout videos he posts on Instagram.

If the clock wasn’t ticking before, it sure is now.

The Bears won’t cut Gordon this year. They can’t afford to. The guarantees in his contract would make the cap penalty way too big. However, that would change quickly next offseason. The Bears could release him with a post-June 1st designation without a penalty. It would saddle them with $12 million in dead money and minimal cap gain, but we’ve already seen general manager Ryan Poles eat the money if he feels it’s necessary to get a useless player out of the locker room. We saw that with Davis two years ago.

Head coach Ben Johnson has already made his feelings on the matter pretty clear. He’s tired of answering questions about Gordon. His only comment on it recently was two words: “Get healthy.” If that isn’t a warning, I don’t know what is. Johnson has no reason to accommodate the cornerback. He wasn’t here when the Bears drafted him. There is no loyalty to speak of. If not for the contract, the Bears probably would’ve cut him already. That protection won’t last forever.

The Chicago Bears were ecstatic when they managed to land Dillon Thieneman in the 1st round of the 2026 draft. They felt the Oregon safety had a rare mix of physical tools and cerebral intelligence that had the makings of a really good NFL player. It is why they had no qualms about instantly inserting him into the starting lineup when training camp began. Things have gone pretty well so far. The rookie has made some strong plays against the run and secured his first interception of Caleb Williams. However, it has come at a price, courtesy of Colston Loveland.

Thieneman has frequently been at the mercy of the tight end. Fans and media have watched him make one catch after another against the young safety in drills. The mismatch has been glaringly apparent. Some have wondered if this is a bad sign with Thieneman. Bears general manager Ryan Poles takes the opposite view. He believes the rookie is getting a great education about what to expect when the team starts playing actual games. If Thieneman can learn to play Loveland tougher, there is nobody in the league who will scare him.

Colston Loveland is giving Thieneman the education he needs.

Think of it this way. Would you rather the 1st round pick get these lessons from somebody on Sundays in a game or on the practice field where the end results don’t matter? The answer is obvious. Better the rookie get his education in a safe atmosphere rather than in front of 70,000 screaming fans. Besides, it’s not like Thieneman has looked completely lost in those matchups. As Poles pointed out, the rookie is often in great coverage. The problem is, Loveland just keeps making great plays.

Great players do that to you. Poles himself said he expects Colston Loveland to be an All-Pro in the near future. All of the evidence over the past several months backs this assessment up. Actual veteran safeties couldn’t cover him down the stretch last season. Expecting a rookie who is learning a new defense to have the answers is ludicrous. Besides, the Bears have made it a point to draft players they believe are mentally tough. If Thieneman loses confidence from a few tough practices against Loveland, somebody badly misevaluated him.

The Bears will not waver in their belief in Thieneman.

Part of that is because they know his talent and trust his work ethic to improve. Another part is that they don’t really have a choice. Injuries have slammed the safety position in camp. Elijah Hicks started on the PUP list. Now Coby Bryant is out for upwards of six months with a knee injury. This forced the team to bring in veteran Xavier Woods as an emergency option. With such instability, the Bears will need Thieneman to be prepared for the season. Often, the best way to do that is to put him through the wringer. Colston Loveland has been helping with that.

The sooner the rookie learns how to cover tight ends, the better his game will become. Everybody must go through their early lumps before they become the players they’re capable of being. Even Loveland had to pay his early dues last season. He didn’t start out dominating. It took him months to find that groove. Safety is probably a more difficult position to play as well. Give the kid time.

Forty-one years. That is how long it’s been since the Chicago Bears celebrated a football championship. That 1985 season remains the only one that ended with hoisting a Lombardi trophy. Since then, the organization has endured decades of mostly disappointing seasons, interspersed with tantalizing all-too-brief teases. They came so close in 2006 before falling apart against the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. They got back to the NFC championship in 2010, but were put down by the rival Green Bay Packers. Since then, the team has only made the playoffs twice.

At this point, Bears fans are happy just to reach the postseason. The idea of winning a Super Bowl? That is the impossible dream that would make their lives complete if it ever happened. Just don’t mention that to Ben Johnson. The Bears head coach has his own aspirations for this football team. They are so much higher than anybody can imagine. He said as much to Dan Pompei of The Athletic in a recent interview. Why should the Bears be satisfied with a championship? This game should be about aiming to be the best. Not just that season. Of all time.

Johnson wants the Chicago Bears in all the record books.

“You’ve got 31 other teams coming to training camp saying, ‘Our goal is to win the Super Bowl,’” he says. “I want more than that. I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever, which happens to be the 2013 Denver Broncos. I know how many points per game they scored (37.9), and I want to surpass them. I want shutouts. I want blowouts.”

He asks which team has the most consecutive victories. It’s the New England Patriots, who won 21 straight between 2003 and 2004.

“Why can’t we do that?” he says. “There has never been an undefeated season (since teams have been playing more than 14 regular-season games). The moon is the Super Bowl, but we’re shooting beyond that, for the stars. And I want these players to feel that each and every single day they come in.”

The Chicago Bears should always be aiming as high as possible.

That, in Johnson’s mind, is part of why the organization fell into such disrepair over the past two decades. They stopped aiming for greatness and became content just trying to be good. That is no way to think in professional sports. If you’re not operating at a level of unrelenting competitiveness, you’re doing the city and the fans you represent a disservice. Johnson once told former wide receiver Jarvis Landry that he should think like someone who wants to be the best wide receiver ever. After all, the coach said he expected…not hoped…expected to be in the Hall of Fame one day.

The best way to guarantee that is winning multiple championships, setting league records, and doing things other head coaches never have. Is it ambitious? Sure, and that is the point. Johnson isn’t just happy to be in the league. He wants more. He demands more of himself. That is why he is hard on his players. He knows they are capable of so much more than they’ve accomplished to this point. It is his job to get it out of them. If you’re not aiming to be the greatest, why are you even in the sport?

Johnson shows he is a student of history.

If you look at Chicago sports over the past several years, you’ll find many instances of teams having an incredible singular season, culminating in a championship. However, things slowly fell apart afterward. You saw it with the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 2005 White Sox, and the 2016 Cubs. In all those instances, the teams never quite had the same edge and drive they had after finishing the mission of hoisting the trophy. It is why, to this day, many consider those teams underachievers, especially the Bears and Cubs.

Johnson has no intention of letting that happen. Yes, he wants to win the Super Bowl. Anybody in their right mind does. Yet his goals don’t end with that. He has greater aspirations than a single ring. He wants a stacked trophy case. He wants offensive records and NFL immortality. Most importantly, Johnson wants his players to feel the same way. Don’t ever be satisfied with dreaming small.

The Chicago Bears accomplished so much in 2025. They won the division for the first time in seven years, won a playoff game for the first time in 15 years, and rewrote the record books offensively in many ways. It was something to be proud of for Ben Johnson, who is the only Bears head coach in the Super Bowl era to win a playoff game in his first season. However, none of that seems to register with the man. All he can think about is how the season ended in the divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams.

It was an incredible experience in many ways. He’d always heard about the mystique of Soldier Field that time of year, but was overwhelmed when he saw it for the first time. Unfortunately, his underestimation of the Bears’ home field, along with his stubbornness on team philosophy, contributed to the team’s overtime defeat. Johnson admitted to Dan Pompei of The Athletic that two things still haunt him about that game. One was not taking the field goal early in the game after Rome Odunze dropped a TD. The other was not shifting his offensive approach to account for the game’s weather conditions until it was too late.

Ben Johnson blames himself for that loss.

He also wants to spend more time on game management, partly because of how he handled the Bears’ 20-17 overtime loss to the Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs.

“I kick myself when I think about that game,” he says.

Given his respect for Rams coach Sean McVay, MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford and the top-scoring offense in the NFL, Johnson anticipated a shootout. He was mentally unprepared to downshift to a more conservative attack to account for 25-mph winds, a wind chill of four below and snow. He regrets not attempting a field goal in the first quarter on fourth-and-2 from the Rams’ 21. Williams was intercepted on the play.

“I should have changed the mindset,” he says. “I know now that the power of Soldier Field, particularly at that time of year, is a real thing. And it should be a major advantage for us, provided we recognize it and play with a certain style.”

Johnson made two rookie mistakes.

He is hardly the first to do something like that and won’t be the last. The gameplay approach was understandable. Matthew Stafford was the league MVP who’d just put up video game numbers through the air that season. One can understand why the Bears head coach would want to prepare his team, and young quarterback Caleb Williams, to fight fire with fire. The problem is that you can’t really get away with that in arctic conditions with those swirling 25 mph gusts on the lakefront. In the first half, Williams threw the ball 19 times. While he completed the majority of them, most were for shorter gains.

Meanwhile, they ran the ball 13 times for 55 yards, a solid 4.23 yards per carry. They ran another 14 in the second half for 65 yards. Ben Johnson is right to wonder what might’ve happened if he’d approached the game with a more conservative, run-first mentality. The Bears clearly had success on the ground. If they’d leaned into it from the beginning, they might’ve taken control late in the game rather than being forced to play from behind.

As for the Odunze situation. Scoring three points there would’ve set the tone, putting the Bears ahead 3-0. Instead, the Rams scored on the subsequent drive to take the lead themselves. That allowed them to control the game’s tempo. Had Chicago scored there, Williams’ now-iconic last-season touchdown in the 4th quarter would’ve won the game instead of just forcing overtime.

Johnson’s self-reflection is so important.

Too many coaches would simply file that game away and not think about it again after it ended. They’d only want to move forward, trusting things will go better next time. Johnson doesn’t think that way. He is a man of endless analysis. He wanted to know what led to the loss. How did he contribute to it? By doing so, he quickly realized that his original way of thinking, while successful, wasn’t good enough. If he wants to be great, then he must be willing to identify his own flaws. That comes through self-scouting like this.

Many times you’ll find that coaches who finally broke through for a championship were one willing to change. Tom Coughlin famously ruled his teams with an iron fist and treated the media like plague victims. However, thanks to warnings from his family, he softened his approach in 2007, showing his team a new side of him. The New York Giants won the Super Bowl that year. It seems like Johnson is reaching similar realizations about himself and hopes to apply those lessons moving forward.

When training camp began last month, everybody knew the Chicago Bears left tackle job was wide open for the taking. With Ozzy Trapilo out for the foreseeable future with a knee injury, no fewer than four players were in line to compete for the spot. There was incumbent Braxton Jones, the most experienced of the four who’d started last season before being benched and ultimately landing on IR. Theo Benedet, who’d replaced him for a time last season, was also getting a second chance. Former 3rd round pick Kiran Amegadjie had another shot after injuries ruined his opportunity a year ago. Last but not least, there was free agent addition Jedrick Wills, a former top 10 pick from Cleveland.

Head coach Ben Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar would not play favorites. The job would go to the player who was the most consistent. For a time, it looked like Jones was the early favorite, with Wills and Amegadjie close behind. Then Jones suffered a leg injury during a practice last week. This meant he’d miss at least a few days recovering. It gave Wills and Amegadjie a golden opportunity to gain some ground, with maybe the most important practice of camp at hand on August 11th. Based on what Adam Jahns of CHGO reported, it sounds like one of them took advantage.

The Chicago Bears now have a two-man battle to decide.

Penalties were called on both players: Wills (false start) and Amegadjie (holding on defensive end Jamree Kromah). 

The competition feels far from over. Braxton Jones is expected to return soon, while Poles said on the Hoge & Jahns podcast that Ozzy Trapilo is ahead of schedule and could potentially return to action at some point in camp or in September. 

But on Tuesday, the team got plenty of film of Wills and Amegadjie to evaluate. Wills has definitely shown improvement, while Amegadjie continues to struggle against defensive end Austin Booker. 

Wills bought himself more time to overtake Jones.

That is pretty much what the outcome of that practice means. It wasn’t perfect. He had some mistakes, as Jahns noted, but he also had some strong moments, particularly in the run game. Head coach Ben Johnson has indicated more than once how much he loves Wills’ combo of size, power, and length. The trick was getting his confidence back up after spending almost two years recovering from a knee injury. That has been happening, particularly in the past week.

The other part was a lack of experience in the offense. This was the biggest advantage Jones holds over Wills. He played in Johnson’s system last year. He knows what is required of the left tackle on every play. It takes time to learn, which means Wills had to work doubly hard to catch up. It looked like Jones was using that advantage to the utmost. Then he got hurt. This has been the story of his career thus far. He plays some truly good football and then gets injured. Johnson has little patience for players with repeated injury issues, which probably didn’t help his case in this battle.

The next few days could prove decisive.

The Chicago Bears play their first preseason game on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns. It feels like this competition will continue at least through then. Jones still hasn’t returned to practice, which means Wills is likely to start. If so, he can deliver the decisive blow with a strong performance. The starting offense should at least get one offensive series. Wills might get more than that just to get a fair evaluation of him in game-like conditions. Jones better hope he can return in time to defend his spot.

Right now, it still feels like Jones is the slight favorite if only because he is the most reliable. However, Wills has closed the gap more than anybody else. His confidence is growing, and he is definitely the more talented of the two. Are the Bears willing to gamble on his upside, believing he’ll catch up on the scheme eventually? Or will they prefer to risk Jones’ persistent health concerns? A decision should be know by the start of next week.

After what felt like several weeks of constant updates on the exhausting Chicago Bears stadium saga, things have gone silent. The latest information available is that the team has shifted its focus to sites in Hammond, Indiana. They remain in contact with the Illinois state government about possible solutions to the Arlington Heights deadlock, but no breakthrough is forthcoming. The problem is that Hammond presented issues of its own. By far the biggest was a dispute over some of the land at the expected building site on Wolf Lake.

A large section of that property falls under environmental protection laws created by the U.S. military. Those protections were set to run through 2050. That meant the areas the Bears could build on would be much smaller unless Indiana could find a way to secure the land from the government. According to Ben Devine, there has been a breakthrough in talks with the Department of Defense. They have agreed to relocate their property elsewhere. If this is true, Indiana may have delivered a decisive blow in its efforts to lure the Bears across the state border.

This coincides with a Chicago Bears stadium update from George McCaskey.

He informed Patrick Fazio of NBC Chicago that an update on the situation is coming in the next few days. That would make sense if this information about the deal with the Department of Defense seems true. If one were to connect the dots, McCaskey might be planning to reveal that the Wolf Lake site is the one they plan to go with. The Bears probably didn’t want to do that until they were certain no further legal roadblocks were in their way. This would be a major victory for them.

Initial reports suggested it might take a lengthy legal battle to secure the rights to build on that protected land. Battles that held no guarantee of success. However, it appears Indiana was aggressive in its efforts to work something out. Details of whatever deal was reached are unknown. What matters to the Chicago Bears is that this pretty much removes the final obstacle to starting the process of laying the foundation for construction. It’s unknown if they already have the plans drawn up. They have worked with an architectural firm on Arlington Heights, but no information is available on Hammond.

Now we find out if the Bears are bluffing.

Many still insist up and down that this continued Indiana venture is the Bears’ way of pulling the best possible terms from Illinois on a stadium deal. Thus far, the state has dug its heels in on everything. The first Indiana threat did finally get the ball rolling, but things have stalled in the legislature. It doesn’t look like a summer session will be called by Governor J.B. Pritzker. That leaves the fall session in October as the last opportunity this year. Are the McCaskeys willing to wait that long, or are they tired of the fiasco and just want to move forward?

If it’s the latter, then expect a formal announcement that construction will begin soon. Team president Kevin Warren had said his goal was shovels in the ground by the end of 2025. That deadline is long gone. Now, 2026 is looking shakier by the day. Unless the Bears are determined to truly make it work in Illinois, then fully committing to Indiana feels like the fastest path to a resolution at this stage.

Several roster battles remain to be determined for the Chicago Bears as they push through their second week of training camp. Preparations have begun for the preseason opener against Cleveland. Head coach Ben Johnson, though, seems intent on getting some answers sooner. To that end, he has devised a full-contact scrimmage for Tuesday afternoon. The offense and defense had game plans the night before. Coaches must call the “game” as they go. Johnson made it clear to his players that this practice means a lot. Major roster decisions will stem from how guys perform.

Perhaps no position has more on the line than left tackle. Johnson made it clear multiple times during his latest presser that he and his assistants plan to have a serious discussion about choosing a starter following this scrimmage. He makes it sound like whoever stands out will get the nod to start in the preseason opener, giving themselves a massive opportunity to snatch the job. Based on the latest info, Braxton Jones was the favorite before suffering another injury. Free agent Jedrick Wills was his biggest challenger, and Johnson has been happy with Wills’ progress.

Ben Johnson needs to see who can hang in pass protection.

“You said last week that you hope maybe this week you’d have a little more clarity of tackle. >> That’ll be a big discussion point tomorrow…Jed was a guy that (was) supremely talented coming out of Alabama. Started off really well in Cleveland, and then obviously the injuries slowed him down. But to me, it’s the case of a player who is still gaining his confidence and strength levels back up. I think he’s starting to understand, ‘Man, I still can play at a really, really high level.’

I keep going back. How well can he pass protect one-on-one? Well, he’s got the traits. Long arms, he’s able to mirror pass rushers. And so, it’s all there. It’s just a matter of consistency right now. And familiarity with what we’re doing. He’s a little bit behind the other guys just because he hasn’t been in the system for a year. So, we’re trying to play that all out. I think he’s doing a pretty good job. And like I said, we’ll have some in-depth conversations tomorrow.”

*Note: this next section was written after the practice ended

Update: Well, he probably didn’t like that outcome.

Jones didn’t practice as he continues nursing his injury. That left Wills and Kiran Amegadjie as the two primary left tackles during the live periods. By all those in attendance, it was an up-and-down performance. Wills had some good showings in the run game, creating a touchdown at the goal line. Unfortunately, that was undercut by two false starts and some hiccups in pass protection. Amegadjie didn’t do anything to distinguish himself. He was on the field during the final period when the offense failed to convert on 4th and 3, and Caleb Williams was forced to throw it away.

The big winner from this outcome was pretty much Jones by default. Wills got handed a golden opportunity to seize the job with minimal obstruction, and couldn’t close the deal. Jones had been getting most of the first-team reps through the first week of camp before his injury. Ben Johnson is unlikely to declare a winner with an inconclusive practice like that. This either means Jones will be handed the job when he gets back, or the coaches will decide to push the competition into the preseason.

Johnson has already done that once before.

The Bears had a competition last year as well. It also didn’t get the kind of early results the head coach hoped for. So he kept it going for weeks, right up to the start of the regular season. Jones ended up getting the nod, but he struggled through the first month. That led to Theo Benedet replacing him, but he struggled too. Given no other choice, rookie Ozzy Trapilo was inserted. Thankfully, he started playing really well down the stretch. Then everything went sideways in the wild card playoff when he tore his patellar tendon.

Johnson must be feeling a frustrating sense of deja vu. Left tackle has given him headaches since the moment he arrived last year. Jones isn’t healthy. None of his primary competitors are consistent enough to meet the team’s standard. The only good news is that Trapilo might be back earlier than expected. GM Ryan Poles stated it’s possible he might return by the end of training camp. If so, the Bears may not have to endure this game of musical chairs for too long.