Column: Optimism for Chicago Bears is usually rooted in change. 5 reasons the latest reboot might succeed.

Chicago Tribune

22-07-2025

Optimism can be found in many ways, but the only way it has been consistently produced at Halas Hall over the last decade or so is by change.
Changing the general manager. Changing the head coach. Changing coordinators. Changing the quarterback. Call it the cycle of football for the Chicago Bears, one that has left them in a series of reboots — the latest of which started in earnest Tuesday when veterans reported for training camp, with the first practice Wednesday morning.
GM Ryan Poles expressed gratitude for a contract extension that aligns him with first-year coach Ben Johnson, and he outlined some recent roster moves — notably Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson landing on the non-football injury list with a leg issue that will sideline him at least a few weeks.
Then Poles turned over the show to the man charged with taking an improved roster to a higher level.
'There's a lot of excitement around the program and I think rightfully so,' Ben Johnson said. 'There's a lot of talent on the roster. Looking forward to seeing what leaders come out of the locker room and really lead the charge here for us going into the fall.'
Here the Bears go, with the hope this is nothing like any of the failed changes of the recent past. That excludes, of course, the terrific 2018 season under first-year coach Matt Nagy, the team's last real taste of success.
Johnson, 39, was the hot name during the coaching hiring cycle in January, and the fact the Bears landed him with a contract worth $65 million over five seasons remains a bit of a shocker. If he's the next young rock-star head coach to roam NFL sidelines, the Bears indeed are headed in the right direction.
Here are five reasons that potentially validate the latest wave of optimism as the Bears prepare to hit the field:
That's how one team executive framed the notion that the Bears previously did more talking about having competition than actually putting players in position to battle it out.
Johnson believes in it. He's brand new without preconceived notions about players. Sure, a good number of players are well-positioned because of their contractual status. The rest? They better be ready to perform for jobs.
Photos: Chicago Bears report to training campAll eyes will be on what, for the time being, is a three-way battle at left tackle among Braxton Jones, rookie Ozzy Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie, but the idea of real, honest competition will extend to more spots on the depth chart than you might imagine.
Caleb Williams struggled as a rookie to do what makes Jared Goff a top-tier quarterback for the Detroit Lions. Conversely, what Williams does at a high level, Goff can't do. That's why Johnson said when he arrived that he would build an offensive scheme and playbook around the players he has.
He expanded on that thought a little Tuesday, saying they still are evaluating exactly what they want to be offensively. Wisely, they're waiting until pads go on and they're not operating in helmets and shorts.
'We've got to find out who we are, and I'm going beyond just the quarterback here,' Johnson said. 'I don't know if we're going to be a wide-zone team up front. I don't know if we're going to be a gap team yet. There's a lot of things that have got to play out.'
No one would put the Bears in the discussion of the NFL's elite offensive lines because of the big question at left tackle. But Poles' trades for guards Joe Thuney — one of the most decorated interior linemen of the last decade — and Jonah Jackson plus a big contract to add free-agent center Drew Dalman have made them as good as any team from guard to guard.
Williams should have a firm pocket, and no longer will conversations about the quarterback or offense have to be hedged with concern about protection. The Bears should be a better running team too. Thuney will be an asset to whoever winds up taking the majority of the snaps at left tackle. Dalman should ease the burden on Williams as he works to become much better at the line of scrimmage pre-snap.
Think about it. When is the last time the offensive line's performance wasn't a caveat to include in any discussion of what the Bears offense or quarterback could do?
Make no mistake. The biggest storyline of the 2025 season will be how Williams fares in Year 2. His development is more important than the win total. If he's clearly in ascent by January, you can feel good about the future direction. If it's muddled, then you're setting sights on a make-or-break 2026 season.
'I think we're ready to go,' Johnson said. 'The governor is off. (Williams) and I have been talking all spring, all summer, constant phone calls, constant conversations. And so I think we're in a great place and he wants to get coached hard. And we're going to push him as hard as we can and do what is right for the team.'
Williams said he spent his downtime since the end of the offseason program improving his footwork, becoming more accurate on short throws to the left and trying to improve his cadence while also mastering the playbook.
'It's a really important relationship,' Williams said. 'It has been growing. It has been awesome. We're having fun. He gets on me, and it's greatly appreciated that he does.
'Being tough on me and realizing and understanding that nobody's above anybody. All of us are, and that's how we're going to march through this season.'
Johnson even shared a lofty goal of having Williams complete 70% of his passes this season. He was 25th among qualifying players in 2024 at 62.5%, and only five quarterbacks — Tua Tagovailoa, Goff, Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow and Geno Smith — reached the 70% threshold.
Why not enter the season with bold ambitions?
The Bears paid handsomely to hire Johnson, and they followed up by investing in assistants — notably Dennis Allen (defensive coordinator), Richard Smith (linebackers), Eric Bieniemy (running backs), Dan Roushar (offensive line), Al Harris (secondary) and Richard Hightower (special teams) — with a wealth of experience for Johnson to lean on.
Provided Johnson is comfortable delegating responsibility — something every first-time head coach has to learn as he goes — it could prove to be a valuable mix.
'We've got a number of guys that have done this at a high level for a long time,' Johnson said, 'and so I am going to be going to them for advice quite a bit when certain things arise.'
It was Winston Churchill who said, 'To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.' In that vein, the Bears have been chasing perfection for a mighty long time.
Once again, it's a new beginning at Halas Hall.