Bears QB Tyson Bagent explains how players have bought into Ben Johnson
Bears QB Tyson Bagent explains how players have bought into Ben Johnson
There are still a few months to go until the new-look Chicago Bears take the field for a meaningful football game, but through mini camps and organized team activities, it's becoming clear the squad is buying into the new regime. Head coach Ben Johnson and his staff are instilling a new culture up at Halas Hall, and it seems everyone is on board with the plan—at least according to the longest-tenured quarterback on the team.
Third-year signal caller Tyson Bagent joined Barstool Sports' "The Stretch" last week and discussed several topics, including the change from Matt Eberflus to the Johnson era. Bagent spoke glowingly of his new coach and the culture that is being put into place. He went as far as to say there is a collective buy-in from the players—something that he noticed wasn't always the case the previous two seasons.
"There's not any gray area," Bagent said. "At least in the previous two years, you could tell that some people liked the staff and supported what was going on, and some people were not a fan. There's none of that [this year]. Everybody knows that we're getting coached well."
Bagent's claims that there was a divide in the locker room during his two years under Eberflus aren't surprising considering how the culture crumbled during his tenure. Still, for a young quarterback to quickly see a good portion of the team had reservations about Eberflus' ability as a head coach shows how much the locker room had already been teetering. Even in 2023, when the Bears showed stretches of good play.
Of course, Eberflus was ousted last November, and the new staff put in place has a different way of doing things, which Bagent appreciates. "I think everybody is like, 'Hey, I need to handle my end of this bargain and show up every day and put the work in.' They will get in your face, they will get on you, and be very open about it, which is the only way to be, I think."
Based on the observations that took place during OTAs and mini camp, Johnson's not shy about letting players know when they're screwing up the details. Bagent seems to welcome the tough love, and it sounds like the rest of the locker room agrees. Hopefully, the coaching continues to resonate well into the season, and the Bears can return to relevancy.
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