LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — Before the Bears took to the practice field Thursday afternoon at Halas Hall, first-year head coach Ben Johnson gathered his players in the George "Mugs" Halas Auditorium and reminded them of the standard he and his staff have set.
“Hopefully, they understand that this coaching staff means business,” Johnson said after practice Thursday. “They know what good football looks like, they know what winning football looks like and they’re committed to bringing that here.”
While rookies still have work to conduct next week, the Bears as a group concluded their offseason program Thursday after nearly two months of workouts, meetings and on-field practice. Here are five takeaways from their work in the past couple months.
Williams is progressing amid a new vision
After a tumultuous rookie season in which he was sacked an NFL-high 68 times and watched coaches get fired, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams feels comfort with the structure around him in his second year in the NFL. For his part, Johnson is committed to guiding Williams differently in 2025.
During the offseason program, Johnson and his coaching staff have been refining Williams’ game and have challenged him to be better. Williams answered the call along the way.
"I guess the Ben Johnson effect, right?” Williams said recently with a smile. “He's going to get a kick out of that when he hears it.”
Johnson has stressed the small details in Williams' game – body language as a leader, pre-snap footwork, timing and rhythm in the pocket and other basics that can help him improve. In the second practice of veteran minicamp, Johnson harped on Williams for not releasing a pass quickly enough.
Williams had good moments, such as a tight-window touchdown strike to receiver DJ Moore on Thursday, and also had misses, such as a sloppy interception thrown later in that drill.
Overall, the Bears are encouraged by what Williams has displayed.
“A lot of growth,” Moore said. “You can tell he’s on his A-game every day because I know he probably gets it the most out of everybody, because he’s the quarterback and he wants to be perfect in himself and the staff wants him to be perfect to lead this offense.”
Second-year receiver Rome Odunze agreed with Moore’s assessment.
“He has continued to grow from what I have seen and made strides and continued to pour into his profession and his craft," Odunze said. "And from my perspective, that's all that matters.”
Williams threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions in 17 games as a rookie in 2024. There were flashes of greatness and reasons for concern, but all in all, the Bears came away encouraged by their future at quarterback.
Williams has expressed his desire to work with more structure. He now has that with Johnson, who's eager to push him.
“He encourages and he pushes you and challenges you to be at your best – as a team, offense, defense, special teams,” Williams said. “Doesn’t matter position. Sharp. And he’s a guy that wants to win.
“Him being here and being the head guy and doing all those things and being consistent with it, so far it’s been awesome, and I think everybody’s been enjoying it.”
Bears set to lean on Swift
If the Bears had a strong desire to find an upgrade at running back, they would’ve had one by this point on the calendar.
They surveyed their options in free agency and were drawn to certain prospects in the NFL Draft, but the possibilities never came to fruition. Like in 2024, they'll rely on veteran running back D’Andre Swift to lead their backfield.
Swift struggled in his first year with the Bears, in part due to the team's collective offensive struggles. Despite that, general manager Ryan Poles remains confident in Swift.
More importantly, so does Johnson.
“Here’s what I know about him: He is a fierce competitor,” Johnson said. “And that’s what I love about him. When the lights are bright, you’re going to know exactly what you’re going to get. If you tell him that you’re going to need one yard, four yards, he’s going to find a way to put his shoulder down and move the pile and get that done for you.”
The Bears believe that new running backs coach Eric Bieniemy will help get the best out of the 26-year-old Swift. Bieniemy is a highly regarded assistant who has a reputation for challenging his running backs in practice.
Swift often struggled because of a hesitancy to hit the hole, as he was caught dancing in the backfield. With Bieniemy coaching Swift, the Bears believe that will change.
“His style of coaching is something I kind of gravitate to — holding everybody accountable and saying that the big stuff is the little stuff," Swift said of Bieniemy. "He’s the type of coach you want to play for. He isn’t going to let anything go by the wayside, just like Ben and everybody else on the staff. You feel like you have to turn your level up as well.”
The same goes for third-year running back Roschon Johnson and rookie running back Kyle Monangai, a seventh-round pick who could play a role in the Bears’ backfield as well. Swift is set to serve as the feature back, while Johnson and Monangai will compete for carries behind him.
Four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb remains the top running back available in free agency, but he'll turn 30 in December and was set back by a devastating knee injury in 2023 and a broken foot last season. Veteran running back J.K. Dobbins is meeting with the Broncos this week, according to reports, which could take him off the board.
As for Swift, he enters the season with plenty to prove.
“I’m self-motivated,” he said. “I’m not somebody who saves highlights or anything like that. I know who I am and what I’m about. What motivates me is the work I put in and how I prepare. I’ve been putting in the work, and I’m excited about this next season.”
Kmet handles awkward offseason with class
Bears tight end Cole Kmet chuckled when reflecting on his rookie season in 2020.
After being selected in the second round, Kmet joined a tight end group led by five-time Pro Bowl standout Jimmy Graham, who was then 33 years old. Kmet admitted to Graham that he once wore his jersey as a child.
Kmet is now 26 and in the prime of his NFL career, but he’s in a similar place to Graham as the Bears have now welcomed in rookie tight end Colston Loveland, whom they selected at No. 10 overall in the NFL Draft.
Kmet is an established player, and Loveland is the first draft pick since a new coaching staff was installed.
“Getting to know Colston has been great so far,” Kmet said. “And I want to give him as much knowledge as I can, give him all the things that I’ve learned and get him up to pace as quickly as possible so that he can go out there and be the best football player that he can be this year and going forward. Yeah, so, I’m excited about that. It’s been awesome to get to know him in these past few weeks since he’s been drafted. I think he’s going to fit just fine in our room and in the offense as well.
“You understand that there’s going to be areas where we complement each other. And there’s obviously – just like any position room – there's going to be areas that we compete for things. That’s football, and that’s how it should be. So, I'm excited about it, to not only push him and for him to push me and we’re going to make each other better. I think the goal with it is to become the best 12 (personnel) tandem in the league and see where we can take it from there.”
After the Bears selected Loveland, there was external speculation regarding Kmet's role in the offense and future with the organization. Although Kmet has three more years under contract, one could presume that Loveland will have a larger role in the offense.
Johnson called Kmet shortly after the Bears' selection of Loveland and reiterated the team's belief in him. That gave Kmet peace of mind.
In a situation that could be tough for a veteran, Kmet deserves credit for taking the high road and welcoming in Loveland amid the Bears’ new plans.
Tyrique's time?
Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was at the center of blame in the Bears' stunning loss to the Commanders on a Hail Mary last October, a play that tarnished his reputation. Two weeks after that gaffe, Stevenson heard boos from the Soldier Field crowd when his name was called.
Johnson and his new coaching staff aren’t holding that lapse in judgment or anything from the past against Stevenson as they start anew. In fact, the Bears see him as a potential important part of their defensive identity.
He's the type of cornerback coveted by defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
“What we love about him is he’s got some length and he’s not afraid,” Johnson said. “I think those are two things that you really need to play corner, particularly the style of corner that we’re looking for – guys that’ll come up, they’ll challenge, they’ll get hands on. Press man-to-man is something that we’re going to do a healthy amount of, and we feel he fits that mold really well.
“He’s been very receptive so far and he’s a young hungry player like a lot of these guys.”
Stevenson is a talented player who has hurt the team at times with poor discipline. He’s prone to penalties and miscues that have cost the Bears.
This is a pivotal year for Stevenson, who could solidify his place in the Bears’ future or find himself seeking a new job after the season.
Ben’s bag of tricks
As practice neared its end Thursday, the Bears worked through a unique drill.
Each quarterback dropped back and threw down the sideline to offensive linemen. Later on, running backs threw to wide receivers, wide receivers threw to running backs and quarterbacks ran routes catching passes.
During his time as Detroit's offensive coordinator, Johnson had a deep bag of trick plays. He has brought that bag with him to Chicago.
“We only do this once a year and it’s an evaluation,” Johnson said. “And we’ll circle back in training camp and in the season to see who we can trust to catch the ball or throw the ball. I think there’s a couple guys on the O-line that stood out. And then Case Keenum might have made the catch of the day – behind the back about 50 yards down the field. So, I think we got some toys to work with.”
Extra point
The Bears will conduct a three-day extension of OTAs next week at Halas Hall. Rookies are required to attend. Veterans are invited, though most won't be present. The team will reconvene for training camp in late July.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.