The Chicago Bears are just days away from their first preseason game of the Ben Johnson era, and the first-year head coach is still needing to publicly call out his roster.
While Chicago's early camp has been a struggle, the team seemed to be putting things together in recent days. However, that changed over the weekend, and it seems clear that Johnson is not going to tolerate anything less than this group's best effort.
Ben Johnson called today's practice "sloppier" than he expected it to be at this point. Said he felt like he saw players making the same mistake twice at a couple points.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 3, 2025
Bears Failing to Meet Johnson's Expectations Before 1st Preseason Game
Sunday's practice session did not meet the expectations that Johnson has for this team. The new man calling the shots on the sidelines in Chicago was quick to let fans in the Windy City know it, too, telling the media the Bears are "sloppier" than he would like at this point.
While Johnson didn't single out any players in his comments, there were plenty of fans online suggesting they were meant for second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. Without Johnson naming any members of the roster, it is impossible to know if that was the case or not. However, considering Johnson is an offensive coach, it would be easy to assume that his comments were more related to the way that side of the ball looked than anything else.
It's no surprise these comments come after the offense was showing life. Williams seemed to be settling in toward the end of last week, with rookie wide receiver Luther Burden's return to practice provided a serious boost at the same time. That progress likely had Johnson feeling better about this unit before Sunday's implosion.
This is the type of accountability that a franchise like the Bears needs from its head coach. For Chicago to return to the top of the NFC North, it will have to be firing on all cylinders from the start of the regular season. Johnson realizes that and is doing what needs to be done to instill the same mindset into every member of this roster before the stakes are raised in Week 1.