The Ben Johnson era is off to an unofficial start as the Chicago Bears begin their offseason program this week. While most teams can’t start their programs for a few weeks, Johnson gets an advantage as a new head coach, bringing his team together at Halas Hall to implement his strategy to take over the NFC North next season.
It’s a tall task considering the Bears are coming off a 5-12 season that was low-lighted by a 10-game losing streak after a 4-2 start. But Johnson has the chance to make a first impression on his team and it showed when several players took to the podium to relay their new coach’s message on Tuesday.
Bears Players Embrace Ben Johnson’s Opening Message Ahead of Offseason Program
Jaylon Johnson was one player that embraced Ben Johnson’s message when he spoke to reporters. While he admitted that there was a sense of urgency from Johnson to win now, he also stressed the importance of dominating your opponent.
“I think overall, just setting the tone for what we want to do this year and really just having a sense of urgency right now,” Jaylon Johnson said. “Not just waiting and going through a process and figuring out what we’re going to do but establishing who we are right now and working towards that goal. Really just the mindset of winning now and winning a certain type of way, too. I think just having that dominating mentality is something that I took from the team meeting and it starts now. It starts with the work we put in. It starts with gelling and being cohesive and understanding what they’re going to be asking from us especially on defense. Just understanding the mentality and understanding the mindset that we’re going to establish and really just chasing that throughout the offseason and throughout the training.”
Trumaine Edmunds also mentioned the Bears’ desire to win big and how Johnson has instilled that into his team early on.
“I think it was very direct. Understanding where we are as a football team and understanding how we are going to get there,” Edmunds said. “Obviously, the message is the message. Like, we want to win. We want to win now. And I think saying that and being blunt with it, is what we needed to hear because that’s our mindset going in. Especially the guys that have been there. Like, we want to win and we’ve got the pieces to win and I think knowing that, the coaches understand that coming in.”
The Bears are coming off a disappointing season but they have some promising pieces with Johnson at the helm. Caleb Williams has room to grow after a solid rookie year and the Bears already overhauled their beleaguered offensive line by adding Joe Thuney and Jonah Williams via trades. The 10th overall pick could also give Chicago the ability to land a playmaker on either side of the ball or a premier left tackle such as LSU’s Will Campbell.
But it all comes down to Johnson. The architect of the Detroit Lions offense, he was key in helping Detroit reach the NFC Championship Game in 2023 and earn the No. 1 seed in the playoffs last season. Still, the Lions just didn’t beat teams, they dominated them to an average margin of victory of 13 points in 2024.
It remains to be seen whether Johnson’s will gets installed on the Bears when they take the field next season but it appears he’s off to a good start. It’s something that’s not lost on Jaylon Johnson who reiterated it’s on the players to make things happen.
“I’ve been through it too many times,” Johnson said. “I’ll get excited when we start winning games in November, December, turn things into the playoffs.”