LAKE FOREST, Ill. (104.3 The Score) – Bears head coach Ben Johnson has reiterated a message for his team throughout the offseason. He wants everyone to flush the Bears’ breakthrough 2025 season and move on to what’s next.
With that in mind, the Bears worked through nearly two months of their allotted offseason program. Johnson appreciated the way that his players and coaches carried received his message.
"You got to pay a price, you got to make deposits if you want to have success in this league,” Johnson said. “I've been in it 15 years now, and I don't think there's any way you can cut corners and expect to win on Sundays.
“Our type of guys, they embrace it, they want it."
Here are three takeaways from the Bears’ work in the offseason program as the start of training camp awaits in late July.
Offense setting the tone
A year ago during OTAs and veteran minicamp, Johnson often raised his voice while pulling the Bears’ starting offense off the line of scrimmage. He was frustrated by a lack of attention to detail and the pre-snap alignment.
That carried into training camp in 2025, when the Bears’ offense was behind pace. Chicago’s defense got the better of the offense on most days in camp. It’s different now in Johnson’s second season in charge.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is leading a unit that’s comfortable and confident in Johnson’s scheme. The offense is far ahead of where it was a year ago – and often dictating the work in practice. There shouldn’t be a slow start from the Bears’ offense in 2026, as there was a year ago.
For his part, Williams isn’t complacent entering his third NFL season.
“There’s so much to unlock,” Williams said. “There’s so much to get better at, there’s so much left of ball for me and us and accolades that we’ll have as a team. So, I think that’s the (motivation). And then having a good support system around me, having Ben (Johnson) and my teammates and things like that I got to look in the face and make sure I’m doing the right thing every single day to accomplish our goal.”
Johnson shines, Gordon remains absent
During practice last Tuesday afternoon, two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson had a pair of interceptions in 11-on-11 work. It was a glimpse into a key question for the Bears: Will Johnson return to his best form in 2026?
Johnson was limited to just seven games in 2025, a campaign interrupted in September by core muscle surgery. Upon returning, he just wasn’t the same player.
"His mind is probably getting more confident in terms of the movements he's making,” Ben Johnson said. “He's a vital part of what we want to do. He's been a Pro Bowl-caliber player in the past, and hopefully we can get that out of him this year."
If the Bears get Jaylon Johnson back to his top form, that will add a difference-making dynamic to their defense. But alongside him in the nickel position, there’s again a question mark.
Nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon wasn’t present throughout minicamp due to an apparent injury. He was limited to just three games due to several leg injuries in 2025, his fourth NFL season. That has been an unfortunate trend in Gordon’s career.
The Bears’ frustration with Gordon’s lack of availability is evident.
“This spring was going to be a springboard for us to get going in the right direction,” Ben Johnson said. “So, we're still working through that. We're still trying to get that availability piece going. We know he's a good player when he's out there, but trust level is a huge thing for this team, for this coaching staff, for the locker room and you can only develop that trust by being available.”
The Bears have reserve options at the nickelback position in Cam Lewis and Josh Blackwell. Gordon’s struggles to stay healthy may once again loom large throughout this season.
Pass rush improvement must come from within
The transaction period of the NFL offseason is essentially completed. Any players who are still available on the open market are there for a reason, and players being shopped on the trade market aren’t desired by their current teams.
That means the Bears’ hope to improve their pass rush must come from within. They’re working toward that in practice. A key focus has been better timing off the snap, a detail that defensive tackle Gervon Dexter called “night and day” from last year.
Defensive end Montez Sweat led the Bears with 10 sacks in 2025, and the team is looking to find a complement oppose of him. Austin Booker came on strong late in the season, and Dayo Odeyingbo returned to practice last week, the latest step in his recovery from a torn Achilles that limited him to eight games last season.
“The fact that he’s on the field, he wants to be out there, it’s just another step forward in terms of him gaining confidence again,” Johnson said of Odeyingbo. “And how he’s moving. He’s done a great job being attentive in meetings.
“I know he was really itching to get back out there with his teammates. So it’s a step in the right direction, for sure.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.
