There’s only so much that can be gleaned from what new Bears coach Ben Johnson says. It’ll be far more insightful to see what he does.
He already has revealed some of his intentions through massive moves in the offseason, and his plan will come into focus as the team gets rolling in training camp, which opens July 23.
Johnson has been on the job nearly six months already and has gone deep into analyzing the roster. No matter what he has said about every position being an open competition, it probably isn’t. He likely has an idea going into camp of how he wants to stack his depth chart, and it’ll be up to the players to reinforce it or change his mind.
The Bears are unlikely to make any startling changes to their roster between now and the Sept. 8 season opener against the Vikings. Rumors about trading tight end Cole Kmet or cutting linebacker Tremaine Edmunds are unfounded and implausible. The real “shakeups” will be far more subtle, such as shifts in playing time, targets and carries.
Everything has been on the table for Johnson, as it should be. After going 15-36 over the last three seasons, the Bears — from general manager Ryan Poles to quarterback Caleb Williams and on down the roster — can’t be resistant to change. Bringing fresh eyes to an underperforming group is one of the most valuable aspects of Johnson’s arrival.
So if Johnson wants to rearrange the workload at running back, where D’Andre Swift got 77% of the carries last season, so be it. If he’s not as high on Kmet, wide receiver DJ Moore and left tackle Braxton Jones as Poles has been, the Bears must be receptive.
Johnson had an excellent offensive line as offensive coordinator of the Lions, and recreating that is integral to him succeeding here. The Bears started that process by overhauling the interior with trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signing center Drew Dalman — a trio on the books for $160.3 million over the next three seasons — and now must solidify the plan at left and right tackle.
It’s still possible that right tackle Darnell Wright, the No. 10 pick two years ago, will move to left, but there’s more momentum for rookie Ozzy Trapilo or 2024 third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie to challenge Jones for his starting spot.
If the latter continues to be the case, it’s crucial to remember that out of Jones, Trapilo and Amegadjie, the only one Johnson had a hand in acquiring was Trapilo. With major influence on the Bears’ draft plans, Johnson pushed for tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10, wide receiver Luther Burden at No. 39 and Trapilo at No. 56 overall. He wanted those players because he viewed them as upgrades, whether now or eventually.
Loveland was a surprising pick less than two years after Poles signed Kmet to a four-year, $50 million contract extension.
It’s another scenario where actions carry more weight than words. Johnson and Poles have reiterated that Loveland is an addition to Kmet rather than a replacement, citing Johnson’s penchant for playing two tight ends together. But when teams draft in the top 10, they’re envisioning that player becoming an All-Pro.
When Johnson ran the Lions’ offense last season, star tight end Sam LaPorta got 83 targets. Brock Wright played 51% of the snaps, but got just 16 passes thrown his way. The Bears won’t bail on Kmet outright, but it’s likely Johnson will tilt those opportunities toward Loveland as quickly as he’s ready for them.
Targets will tell the story in the wide receiver room, too. Does Johnson believe Moore truly is a No. 1 wide receiver? Will he thrust Burden into a significant role early? Where does Rome Odunze fit? It won’t take all the way to the games to get answers. It’ll start to become evident in the first few weeks of practice.
The Johnson-Moore dynamic is one to watch. Moore was inconsistent and came across as moody last season, and the Bears need better than that from their most expensive offensive player. He’ll have to adapt to the way Johnson wants to use him or risk sliding in the pecking order.
At running back, the Bears did almost nothing this offseason. Perhaps Johnson, who coached Swift in Detroit from 2020 through ’22, is confident he can get what he needs from him. Otherwise, he has to find solutions in Roschon Johnson and rookie Kyle Monangai. Monangai was a seventh-rounder (the 22nd running back chosen), but he’s Johnson’s seventh-rounder.
The changes won’t be quite as dramatic on defense, but Johnson is partnering with veteran coordinator and former head coach Dennis Allen to do similar work of reevaluating what the Bears thought they had.
Cornerback, for example, was arguably the strongest unit on the team last season. In addition to their three starters, the Bears have two backups who would start on many other teams in Josh Blackwell and Terell Smith. If Allen deems one of them more reliable than beleaguered starter Tyrique Stevenson, he’s free to reshuffle.
The effect on the rest of the defense is more likely to hit the backups, including some recent draft picks. The coaching change means Poles’ draft picks like linebacker Noah Sewell, defensive tackle Zacch Pickens and safety Elijah Hicks are under pressure to prove themselves.
The decisions might be daunting, but they’re a good thing for the Bears. There’s nothing to be precious about here for a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2018. Changes are needed, and Johnson is the one to make them.
FIVE PLAYERS WITH PLAYING TIME AT STAKE
Who has the most on the line when the Bears start training camp this month? Basically anyone who has underperformed or wasn’t brought in under new coach Ben Johnson. Here’s a look at five players with a lot to prove in camp:
TE Cole Kmet
Tight end is one of the hardest positions to learn as a rookie, so Colston Loveland isn’t an immediate threat. Kmet is fighting for his future as the Bears have a cheap out on his contract after this season.
CB Tyrique Stevenson
There’s no such thing as a clean slate. The Bears have forgiven Stevenson’s embarrassing lapse on the Fail Mary, but they haven’t forgotten—and they have hungry, talented backups.
WR DJ Moore
The Bears have believed Moore is a pillar of their future, and he’s certainly going to be here at least the next two seasons, but they didn’t draft Rome Odunze ninth overall to sit around.
RB D’Andre Swift
Johnson was in leadership when the Lions drafted Swift 35th overall in 2020 and traded him for a fourth-round pick three seasons later. As with Kmet, there’s an easy escape on his deal at the end of the season.
QB Tyson Bagent
This one is intriguing. Ryan Poles absolutely loves Bagent, but what if Johnson has more trust in 13-year veteran Case Keenum as Caleb Williams’ backup? That could lead the Bears to test the trade market for Bagent.
