Head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles weren’t exactly generous with their words when asked about Kyler Gordon. It was clear that both men expected the nickel cornerback to be ready for training camp after missing both OTAs and minicamps in the spring. Instead, the fifth-year player landed on the PUP list with a calf problem, continuing his streak of recurring soft tissue injuries. If you weren’t sure if patience was wearing thin, both men indicated that Gordon’s job is by no means secure anymore.

That is the price you pay for missing 14 games last season.

It sounds like the team is leaving that nickel spot wide open for anybody to grab it as camp unfolds. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, two names have quickly emerged as contenders.

“Cam Lewis and Jaylon Jones both got some time with the first team at the nickel cornerback position, but there could be plenty of others who rotate through at some point, especially if Kyler Gordon is absent for a while. Lewis, signed to a two-year contract after spending the last six seasons with the Buffalo Bills, also lined up at safety with the second team.”

Lewis is the more experienced of the two options. He logged 96 snaps in the slot last season for the Buffalo Bills, posting a respectable 83.9 passer rating against. For his career, he’s played 545 snaps in the slot. Jones is the younger of the two, having established himself on special teams but getting occasional work on defense. He has the athleticism and tenacity you look for, playing 83 career snaps in the slot.

Kyler Gordon better get back quickly.

The longer he’s out, the more hardened the Chicago Bears will become about a replacement. Lewis has more experience. It is probably why the team signed him. They must’ve had a sneaking suspicion that Gordon’s health problems would persist. The veteran provided them with much-needed insurance that is already paying off. The primary concern with him is that he’s more of a safety. Jones is the more natural cornerback. Can the team live with that trade-off? They seemed to last season with C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

That brings up probably the most pressing question from fans. What about Malik Muhammad? There was plenty of buzz around the Bears’ 4th round pick out of Texas. He got some early looks at nickel in the spring. Isn’t he in the mix? Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen made it sound like that option is off the table, at least for now.

“Look, the kid is smart. We’ll give him a look at it and see where he’s at and let the competition throughout the course of training camp play out. And I think, you know, evaluation is something that takes time. It doesn’t happen in a day or two.”

The problem with nickel is it’s the most demanding position for a cornerback because it has more responsibilities and requires faster thinking. Asking a rookie to handle that usually doesn’t go well.

Gordon’s leash is almost gone.

The Bears have kept his job safe because they felt he was a lynch pin to their defensive success. That mentality has eroded to almost nothing in the past year. Remember, this coaching staff didn’t draft him and had little say in whether he was extended. All they’ve seen since arriving is a player who can’t stay on the field. Such players are useless to them. How hard he works and what he accomplished in previous seasons are irrelevant to them. This team is trying to win a championship. That can’t be done with guys who can’t keep their bodies right.

Kyler Gordon is facing his last stand this year. Right now, his contract is the only thing keeping him on the roster. If not for that extension he signed and the cap penalties it would incur, he might’ve been cut already. The Bears will give him one more season to figure it out. If he can’t, they will likely eat the dead money next offseason and send him packing. There is zero room for error, which is why each missed practice hurts even more than usual.

People were worried about how the relationship between quarterback Caleb Williams and new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson would work. For one, Johnson had no say in drafting Williams. That can sometimes lead to serious chemistry problems. Lots of coaches prefer acquiring their own quarterback. Then you had the other issue with Johnson. He had a reputation for being a demanding coach. Some young quarterbacks don’t respond well to constant critiquing and obsessive attention to detail. Williams had spent most of his life being catered to as a quarterback. He wouldn’t get much of that with Johnson.

Williams admitted that he was uncertain about things when they first started working together. He wondered if Johnson even liked him. Over time, though, the quarterback began to understand how his new coach was wired. The criticism was never about asserting power. Johnson’s entire goal was to win football games. To do that, the quarterback must be at his best. Williams couldn’t be at his best without someone holding him to a high standard. He explained at his recent press conference that the scoldings don’t bother him anymore. He knows where they’re coming from and what they’re meant to achieve.

“Well, I just know we have a real common goal. It’s to find a way to make the Chicago Bears champions at the end of the day. So what he says, everything he says and what we’ve been through, like I said, everything he says and what he says to me, I’ll do it at 200% and won’t look back. And so that’s kind of how it is now. If he yells and curses at me or anything like that, I know it’s for the greater good of the team. So whatever it takes is what it’s going to take.”

Caleb Williams keeps showing experts how wrong they were.

His talent was never debated leading up to the 2024 draft. What kept coming up was his maturity. His unique personality and interests didn’t sit right with football purists. They saw a young kid who didn’t understand the gravity of his position and the responsibilities placed on him. Going into year three, the evidence has piled up to such an extent that it’s laughable they ever thought that. Williams is far more mature than he gets credit for. Nothing has mattered more to him than winning since the moment he stepped into Halas Hall.

The key difference was that the Bears didn’t have a head coach who could match that single-minded determination. Then Johnson arrived. As alpha as the two men could be, they’re also smart enough to recognize that they’re trying to pull in the same direction. Caleb Williams said he wanted to be pushed when he arrived in Chicago. Johnson has no problem pushing him. It was all about finding the right wavelength where the two could communicate. It sounds like that was found at some point in the second half of last season.

Behind every great quarterback, you often find a great coach.

Joe Montana had Bill Walsh. Brett Favre had Mike Holmgren. Tom Brady had Bill Belichick. Aaron Rodgers had Mike McCarthy. Matthew Stafford has Sean McVay. As bad as the quarterbacks have been in Chicago over the years, the coaches haven’t been much better. This marks the first time since at least the 1980s that they have guys at both positions who are at least good. That was Jim McMahon and Mike Ditka. Bears fans saw what those two accomplished for most of the decade.

The pairing of Williams and Johnson could be significantly better. Williams is more talented than McMahon was. Johnson is by far the better offensive mind. They can soar much higher, provided they stay on the same page. McMahon and Ditka eventually fell apart due to various issues, including personality conflicts. It sounds like that won’t be a problem for Williams. He knows Johnson is trying to make him better. Sometimes that requires hearing things he doesn’t want to.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson told everyone weeks ago that he’s buying Luther Burden stock this year. He seemed confident the former 2nd round pick was poised for a big season in 2026 after his promising rookie campaign. No player in the NFL had more yards per route run, meaning he probably would’ve put up monster stats had he been a primary target last season. Johnson doesn’t plan on making that mistake again. D.J. Moore is gone. That means Burden is free, along with Rome Odunze, to be the primary receivers featured in this passing game.

The head coach isn’t the only one who’s noticed it. When asked which player he is most excited to watch in training camp, general manager Ryan Poles didn’t need long to think about it.

“If there’s a guy that I’m really excited about, it’s Luther Burden, just because of how much he’s grown from the day he walked in this building. I mean, I heard he was just texting and calling these quarterbacks just looking for an arm to throw to him every day of the week. The guy loves football, he’s passionate about it. He wants to helps this team win, and he wants to be the absolute best receiver he can possibly be. You can feel the fire inside of him and I’m excited to see that show up.”

Well, they didn’t have to wait long. Burden was reportedly quite active on the first day of camp. While players were in shorts as they went through the ramp-up period, the receiver had no issues making his presence felt. Caleb Williams went his way frequently. Burden looked smooth and decisive on every rep, showcasing his speed and quickness. It was hard to take your eyes off him.

Luther Burden continues upending those draft evaluations.

Going into last year, all you heard from experts was that the receiver lacked motivation. His work ethic was questionable. How much does he love football? It was why he fell out of the 1st round. The Bears certainly didn’t complain. Johnson knew that talent was not a concern with Burden. His mix of size, speed, and agility made him the kind of versatile weapon defenses struggle to game-plan against. As for the perceived motivational concerns, they were nonexistent to the coaches and scouts. They saw a young player eager to prove people wrong.

Luther Burden had the third-most yards of any rookie receiver last season. Keep in mind that the two guys ahead of him were targeted 122 and 127 times, respectively. Burden was targeted 60 times. He got way more bang for his buck than anybody in the draft class. If he’d gotten 120 targets, he would’ve had 1,304 yards. It isn’t hard to understand why the Bears want to feature him more this coming season. Evidence indicates he would put up some of the best numbers this team has seen in a long time.

Chemistry with Williams might be the most important factor.

Don’t forget last season was the first the two worked together. Burden was trying to acclimate to the NFL while Williams was learning Johnson’s offense. It shouldn’t be shocking that things didn’t click at first. However, they got on the same page by December. The results were plenty explosive. Now those original problems are gone. Burden is in his second season, having gotten over those early jitters. Williams no longer has his head swimming from information overload. His mastery of the system has improved considerably.

You’re already seeing the progress on day one of training camp. It should only get better. At this point, it feels like only one thing can stop Burden from having a breakout year. That is health problems. Such things are impossible to predict. Every other factor is in his favor. He’s in great shape, has a good quarterback, and a head coach who wants (and knows how) to get him the football.

One thing you learn quickly about Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is that he is always experimenting. Few men work harder to stay on the cutting edge of football. Johnson is constantly looking for new ways to improve his offense. His recent embracing of the “12” personnel trend is a perfect example, weaponizing tight ends like never before. However, he is also a head coach now. That means his efforts must extend to the entire football team. What are ways he can make it better?

It appears he found one method that can help, at least when it comes to practice efficiency. One problem the Bears and other teams have is assembling video footage following practice. It appears Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles decided to attack the problem with a massive technological upgrade. It involves installing a dozen camera poles around all the practice fields at Halas Hall, ensuring players are observed at all times. It shouldn’t be surprising from a computer science nerd like Johnson. Adam Jahns of CHGO had the details.

The team has installed 12 permanent camera poles around their four practice fields. They each have concrete foundations. Six poles cover two fields from the end zones and the 50-yard lines. There are two cameras atop each pole.

The film is fed instantly to the Bears’ video staff inside Halas Hall after each period. It’s cut up and immediately ready for the coaches after practice concludes.

In the past, the Bears used movable cameras to record practice. The placement of the cameras was a sign of which field would be used for team drills for fans (and reporters) during training camp. Now, every field is covered at all times.

Ben Johnson stole a page from the Orwell playbook.

For those who don’t get the title reference, George Orwell was the author of the novel “1984,” widely considered the greatest dystopian novel ever written. It follows a character living in a futuristic state run by an oppressive regime that uses mass surveillance as one of the ways to control the population. It was called Big Brother. Cameras were everywhere, keeping an eye out for potential dissidents so they could be arrested. Having 12 cameras installed solely for observing practice makes it hard not to see the parallels.

It seems fitting that Ben Johnson would be the one to embrace something like this. The man studied computer science and mathematics in college. He has a very analytical brain. That means finding every possible way to improve efficiency should take priority. He wants things to run as smoothly as possible. The fewer minutes you waste on menial tasks, the more time you have to devote to improving the team. If you weren’t sure how serious Johnson was about practice, this change should clear that up.

Eerie similarities aside, the idea is a good one.

You can’t deny how effective this approach should be for the team. Now coaches will be able to evaluate players in practice from several angles, not just one or two. That was the drawback of having a couple of camera crews shooting the action. Now they’ll have something akin to actual game footage. Receivers will know if they cut their routes off too short or broke too late. Offensive linemen will know if they set too wide in protection or miss picking up a linebacker on run plays. The benefits are plentiful.

They won’t be felt immediately. Fans will have to wait until the actual games to see anything. If the Bears show more discipline and fundamentals compared to last season, it will be proof that the shift in approach had an impact. Sure, this isn’t what you would call a groundshaking change, but Johnson understands the reality of football. Every decision matters. Even the small ones. It is a game of inches, after all.

The Chicago Bears made the playoffs last year. Much of that was due to Dennis Allen and his defense. The defensive coordinator led the NFL in takeaways. Mostly with personnel he didn’t acquire, mind you. Still, the defense was far from perfect. It finished second-to-last in total quarterback pressures and 27th against the run. Inevitably, this has led to lots of questions about how the team can improve those areas, particularly the former. Head coach Ben Johnson said earlier this year that they needed to coach it better.

Many felt this was a not-so-subtle message to Allen and his staff that they needed to improve. Last season was not good enough. There has even been speculation that the defensive coordinator could be in trouble if those same issues persist this coming season. Perhaps that explains why Allen got a little intense during his first press conference of training camp. He was asked about the state of the pass rush and how he hopes to improve it in the absence of any notable talent additions.

Dennis Allen made sure his answer wasn’t misinterpreted.

“Well, we talked about focusing on the fundamentals and everything. Look, pass rush, you know, there’s a lot been made of the pass rush, right? There’s no example of team defense that is better exemplified than in pass defense, because I don’t care how good your pass rush is, if you don’t cause the quarterback to have to reset or get to a second or third read, you’re not getting to him. And I don’t care how good your coverage is. If you can’t get to the quarterback and disrupt him, they’re going to throw completions.

So, I think we got to get better at pass defense. All right? And I think that’s both elements working together. So I think that’s what our focus is. Our focus is not necessarily this area or this area. It’s completely as a team. How are we going to improve as a team? And I think we all take a part of that. Coaches, players, scheme, fundamentals, and technique, all those things play a part in that.”

Allen clearly expects more from the secondary.

He feels the coverage didn’t do enough to help the pass rush last season. That isn’t just him covering for the rush, either. Allen has a point. Opponents had an average team passer rating of 90.7 against the Bears last season, which ranked 17th in the league. No defensive back allowed one under 86.3% for the season. By contrast, the Denver Broncos, who had the most productive pass rush in the NFL last season, had four finish under 75.0%. Allen is correct. No pass rush can function without reliable coverage. Both sides must work in tandem to bring the quarterback down.

Part of the problem last year was health. Jaylon Johnson, their star cornerback, injured his core before training camp and missed the first half of the season. Kyler Gordon missed all but three games with various soft tissue problems. Tyrique Stevenson was benched for consistency issues. As for Nahshon Wright, his five interceptions helped mask how vulnerable he was in coverage at times.

It certainly didn’t help that injuries also struck the defensive line. Dayo Odeyingbo tore his Achilles. Austin Booker missed half of the season with a knee injury. Shemar Turner tore his ACL. Grady Jarrett played through knee problems. Dennis Allen never really had a healthy group.

The goal ahead seems obvious.

Truth be told, the Bears don’t have an elite pass rusher. That means if the team wants to craft an effective pass defense, they need the defensive line and secondary to work in concert. That means strong fundamentals, discipline, and consistent effort. It falls on Allen and his coaches to get that from them. He certainly sounds motivated to do so, if only to get people to stop asking questions about it. This goes back to what Johnson said. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. He wasn’t just talking about players. Coaches are held to the same standard.

We’ll find out a lot this season. Allen now has more personnel in place of his own choosing, headlined by safeties Coby Bryant and Dillon Thieneman. It is a faster group. Presuming it plays with more discipline, there should be notable improvement. If not, certain jobs might be in jeopardy next offseason.