The Chicago Bears have closed the books on their mandatory minicamp and won’t gather for their next full-team practice until training camp begins in late July.
First-year coach Ben Johnson spent the spring establishing standards and installing his offense. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen took the reins on the other side of the ball. And players seem to be responding to the new tone at Halas Hall.
Johnson and his staff will hold one more session of voluntary organized team activities this week, geared mostly toward rookies and second-year players.
As the Bears push to become more competitive this season, Tribune writers Brad Biggs, Sean Hammond and Dan Wiederer weigh in on four key topics.
1. As the Bears head toward training camp, the biggest question facing Caleb Williams is _____?
Brad Biggs: Pretty straightforward.
Can he begin to elevate his game, launching an ascent that makes him worthy of the franchise’s massive investment? Williams doesn’t have to arrive as a top-tier quarterback in his second season, but he needs to show more than occasional flashes that he can become that guy in the near future.
A learning process is ongoing with a new coaching staff and system, but the offensive line has been upgraded. A wealth of skill players are in position to help Williams, and the Bears hired the hottest offensive coach in the league in Ben Johnson. While the Bears have had a way of quickly removing the luster from a number of regarded offensive play callers, Johnson’s won’t wear off right away.
In other words, it’s on Williams and it’s fair to expect a significant step forward this season. Really, it will define 2025 for the Bears. This season is about whether Williams can be whom the Bears envisioned. Many other questions need to be answered to reach a conclusion. It’s a high-stakes game for all involved, ratcheted up with Johnson in charge now.
Sean Hammond: How quickly he can become Ben Johnson’s star student.
Williams will be spending a lot of one-on-one time with Johnson. During minicamp, we saw the beginning stages of that relationship. There were mistakes. There were huddles that took way too long. Instances when the coach chewed out the quarterback for being late on a throw. Those things happen — and should happen — in the spring. Johnson demands a lot of his quarterback.
The question becomes how long Williams will need before he’s thinking like Johnson. Here’s a thought that Bears fans probably don’t want to hear: This probably will take time. If this looks ugly in September and October, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Johnson seems so detailed and so determined to build his offense and develop his quarterback the right way that he won’t cut corners to get immediate results in Week 1 or Week 2.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the 2025 Bears feel a lot like the 2022 Detroit Lions, who started 1-6 before winning eight of their last 10 to finish 9-8. The Lions didn’t hit their stride until midway through the season, but when they did they looked like a juggernaut in the making.
Dan Wiederer: How quickly he can jell with Ben Johnson.
By now it’s well-documented just how demanding and detail-oriented Johnson is and how intolerant he is of sloppiness. Similarly, Williams is on the record expressing his desire to be coached hard and welcoming Johnson’s arrival as a catalyst to his development. In principle, this seems to be an ideal pairing.
But the coach and quarterback will have to make it such, building their relationship in a way that allows them to see the offense through a shared lens and establishing trust that will allow for honesty, criticism and difficult conversation during times of struggle.
No one at Halas Hall expects training camp to be a masterpiece for the offense. But Williams will have to put in the time to make gradual, significant growth. And Johnson, while setting standards and hammering home the importance of the details, must be tolerant and patient with his young quarterback during some of the rougher practices and meetings of the summer.
It will be fascinating to watch those dynamics evolve, particularly during the grind of camp.
2. Ben Johnson’s intensity in May and June has been _____?
Biggs: Healthy for the building.
A coach preaching details is not revelatory. Matt Nagy talked about being obsessed with the details all the way down to “sweeping the shed.” There’s no doubt the Bears need to be more buttoned up in a lot of areas.
Johnson’s intensity can be felt best in what will be elevated competition across the board when training camp arrives. The idea of players being in competition for a starting job or roster spot has been lip service too often in the recent past. It’s real now.
The new coaching staff isn’t attached to players it inherited, and roles and jobs are on the line. Johnson’s intensity will underscore that point on a daily basis.
Hammond: Real.
Bears fans were led to believe Johnson’s predecessor, Matt Eberflus, was a disciplinarian. Whether right or wrong, a certain demeanor is expected from a defensive-minded head coach. Eberflus played into that when he arrived. Remember his opening news conference, in which he warned players to get their track shoes ready? Three years later, that all felt like a schtick.
Nothing about Johnson’s intensity feels like a schtick. This dude has his game face on during practice. That intensity has come as somewhat of a surprise. Again, maybe that’s just a preconceived notion about what a quote-unquote “offensive guru” should look like. Johnson isn’t some whiz kid with a pencil tucked behind his ear. If you make a mistake, he’s going to chew you out.
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Wiederer: Refreshing.
A hallmark of Johnson’s personality is his competitive edge. That passion has been evident on the practice field this spring as he pushes his team to strive for greatness.
Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent was asked last week about Johnson’s intensity and became the latest player to express his admiration for Johnson’s coaching style. “He’s doing a great job of trying to create culture in a place that’s been asking for it for a while,” Bagent said. “With that comes being unwavering in what you say and how you act. And I think that has been the case so far. He hasn’t taken a step back.”
Johnson’s demanding nature isn’t likely to dissipate anytime soon. And the juice he coaches with should resonate with a team determined to move past the woes of 2024. Along the way, he will have to learn which buttons he can push and when. But in the early stages of his tenure, his forthright nature and competitive energy has proved energizing.
3. The competition for the starting left tackle spot _____?
Biggs: Really hasn’t started.
Second-year pro Kiran Amegadjie and rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo rotated with the first unit through the spring. That gave the coaches at least an idea of how the two young linemen move on their feet without a defensive end imposing his weight, will and strength on them. Trapilo looked like he can move relatively well, which had to be a welcome sight for the front office and coaches.
It sounds like if Braxton Jones isn’t ready to go at the start of training camp as he returns from ankle surgery, he would be facing only a short stint on the sideline. Things should ramp up quickly once Jones is on the field. It’s worth wondering if there are enough reps to properly evaluate a three-man competition for the job. One possibility would be trying to turn it into a two-man battle sooner rather than later, choosing Amegadjie or Trapilo to compete with Jones.
Keep a focus on how things play out in practices with full pads, the joint practices with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills and of course preseason games. In a perfect world, the Bears would have a pretty good idea who the starter is heading into the second preseason game. But it has been some time since the Bears offensive line has resembled a perfect world.
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Hammond: Is all fine and well — but let’s wait and see what it looks like when Braxton Jones returns.
Amegadjie versus Trapilo has been a fun spring storyline. I’d still put my money on the guy with 40 NFL starts under his belt. While Jones isn’t a Pro Bowl-level left tackle, I disagree with the notion he’s a bad left tackle. The Bears could do a lot worse.
Having said that, returning from a serious ankle injury is absolutely something to be concerned about. And that’s not to say Amegadjie or Trapilo couldn’t win the job. Amegadjie got a raw deal last season. With a healthy offseason under his belt, he could take a massive jump in Year 2. Trapilo is an intriguing prospect with a massive frame. But there’s also no reason to rush the rookie into a starting role if he’s not ready.
In my eyes, the competition doesn’t truly start until Jones returns to the practice field.
Wiederer: Is wide open.
Bears coaches won’t be able to begin the complete evaluation of their options until the pads come on during training camp. Competitive periods, crossover practices and preseason games in August will inform their decision.
But to hear Johnson describe his desires for that position last week was informative.
“The No. 1 job of an offensive tackle, doesn’t matter right or left, is to pass protect,” he said. “You need to be able to block their best pass rusher one on one. To me, that’s the No. 1 job, and everything we can get out of them in the run game will be gravy on top of it. But we have to find out who the most consistent pass protector is.”
Jones, who has made 40 starts at left tackle over the last three seasons, doesn’t figure to be ready for the start of camp as he comes back from ankle surgery. Amegadjie will get his opportunity to stake a claim to the job. And Trapilo has drawn praise since rookie camp for his football aptitude and ability to apply classroom learning to on-field performance. Now the competition of training camp will take over as the Bears seek clarity on their top option.
4. The player on defense with the most to prove is _____?
Biggs: A wide-open discussion that could lead you in several directions.
The first player who comes to mind is defensive end Montez Sweat. He’s making $21 million this season. Is he the player who recorded a combined 12½ sacks in 2023, when he led both the Bears and Washington Commanders, or is he more like the guy who had 5½ sacks last season? Sweat played through a couple of injuries in 2024 and was on the field for 16 games. If he can remain healthy, it’s fair to hope the additions of Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingo will boost Sweat’s production.
But if you’re asking this question with an eye toward the future, I’d probably go with a pair of 2023 second-round picks in Gervon Dexter, now returned to nose tackle, and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Both have flashed in their first two seasons. Both are eligible for a new contract after this season. Both are still discussed in terms of potential and the ability to break through. Both have new coaches they need to impress. They’re playing for their futures while still on rookie contracts, and that’s the ultimate motivator.
Can Dexter be rugged versus the run in the middle of the line and still maintain the quickness to push the interior of the pocket? Can Stevenson stack good plays from series to series and Sunday to Sunday as a guy quarterbacks have targeted a lot? We’ll see.
Hammond: Jaquan Brisker.
He’s coming off an injury-shortened season after missing the last 12 games because of a concussion. Brisker was one of the first players general manager Ryan Poles drafted, a second-round pick in 2022, and the Bears love his style of play.
But after three concussions in three years, Brisker needs to prove he can stay healthy. Making that all the more pressing is the fact he’s in a contract year. He has skin in the game, money on the line. Millions of dollars hang in the balance.
It feels unfair. Injuries are largely out of a player’s control. But the NFL is a cruel ecosystem. When healthy, Brisker is a versatile safety who can play close to the line of scrimmage and even totaled four sacks as a rookie in 2022. He always seems to be in the mix. The Bears missed his presence during the second half of last season.
Wiederer: Montez Sweat.
In his first full season with the Bears after landing a four-year, $98 million contract extension, Sweat contributed just 5½ sacks to a defense that finished 16th in the league in that category. Simply put, that’s not nearly enough. The Bears invested in Sweat with the belief he could become an elite pass rusher, capable of making an impact in every quarter of every game. That didn’t happen in 2024.
Sweat missed the Week 9 game against the Arizona Cardinals with a shin injury and didn’t seem fully healthy down the stretch. With reinforcements to the line and new coordinator Dennis Allen vowing to play with an attacking style, Sweat should be eager to make a bigger splash in 2025. Finding a way to make his presence felt regularly would go a long way toward elevating the entire defense.
