The Chicago Bears will be one of the most interesting teams to follow during the 2025 NFL season now that a new regime has taken over and Ben Johnson is calling the shots for the first time in his coaching career.
While he is a first-year head coach, Johnson's work as an offensive coordinator speaks for itself. The product he has put on the field in recent years has turned the Detroit Lions, of all teams, into a contender in the NFC. If he can take that franchise from the dumpster to relevancy, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about what he'll accomplish in the Windy City.
This is the attitude that one of Chicago's longtime division rivals is taking concerning the Bears this coming season. During an interview on Monday's edition of "Good Morning Football," veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks explained why Johnson is so difficult to play against and why he has high hopes for Chicago moving forward.
Long time Vikings LB Eric Kendricks told @gmfb there was one Offensive Coordinator he hated.
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) August 25, 2025
(He is now a head coach…) pic.twitter.com/2oLzP3xotg
Former Bears Rival Eric Kendricks Praises Ben Johnson Ahead of Week 1
"It's a love-hate relationship," Kendricks said of Johnson, after suggesting the Bears' new head coach drove him crazy more than anyone else he faced. "I feel like you appreciate playing against him, but you also hate it because the game plan's always changing... I'm really curious to see what they do in Chicago because I feel like they have been building their team for a couple years now, and they're a sleeper team."
Johnson has all the talent at the skill positions he needs with a franchise quarterback in tow in Caleb Williams, several weapons on the outside, including top 2025 draft picks Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III, and a veteran with big play potential in the backfield in running back D'Andre Swift.
"Ben Johnson, my favorite coordinator, I love-hate him. At the same time, I think he's going to get things cracking there."Eric Kendricks on Ben Johnson
There will likely be some early growing pains as the roster continues to fully grasp the concepts and principles the Bears HC includes in his game plan. While that is the case, don't expect Johnson to lower the standards he has for this team once Week 1 arrives. Regardless of the outcome of these exhibition games during the preseason, Johnson has remained steadfast in his demands for excellence out of his roster.
Williams and the rest of the players on that side of the ball for Chicago must get as firm a grasp of this offense as possible to be the type of offense that made Kendricks hate playing against Johnson. Otherwise, opposing defenses won't be left running in circles trying to figure out what they are going against.
With matchups against the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys coming in the opening three weeks of the regular season, Johnson cannot afford for his Bears roster to get off to a bad start if they want to keep pace with the rest of the NFC North.