If you haven’t noticed yet, Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson isn’t interested in talking about the 2025 version of the team.
Before Thursday’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans, Johnson was asked why talking about the 2025 team annoys him and what he’s doing differently with the 2026 group.
“Are you trying to annoy me right now?” Johnson answered with a smirk.
As far as Johnson is concerned, nothing matters except winning what’s in front of the Bears. Today, that’s a joint practice with the Titans. On Sunday, it’s the preseason finale, and then it’s on to Week 1. Johnson finds no value in talking about the past or about players who aren’t currently on the field and in the mix to help them win today:
“Listen, all I care about is does it help us win or not. That’s really what I’m all about. We’ll talk about injuries up here, but the guys that aren’t out there, they’re not helping us win right now. I want to talk about the guys that are out there helping us win right now. I want stories written about those guys; they deserve it.
“We’ve got 90 guys on the roster right now, a lot of which are fighting for their professional lives right now, and their stories are incredible, and they should be out there. Talking about last year isn’t going to do us any good in terms of winning this practice, winning the next preseason game, winning Week 1, and that’s really all we care about right now.”
Obviously, we have to talk about the injuries, the difference between last season and this season, and how all of that correlates with what’s ahead. But Johnson’s not interested in it. However, he’s more than willing to discuss the guys on the field who are helping the club win the day. He spoke about a variety of players today, some new, some old(er), and had encouraging things to say.
You can watch Johnson’s full media availability here:
Ben Johnson on Caleb Williams’ Growth and D’Andre Swift Being Primed for a Big Season
The most glowing review from Johnson on Thursday was of veteran running back D’Andre Swift, whom Johnson believes is primed for a monster season. Johnson has coached Swift in Chicago for over a year and for multiple seasons in Detroit, and the version he sees of Swift now is the best yet.
“This is the best I’ve seen him [at] this time of the year. You look back at a year ago, he was very explosive, and yet it takes a little while for things to gel between him and the offensive line,” Johnson said.
He’s not wrong. The rushing attack was slow out of the gate last season, and it took some adjustments by the coaching staff to get dialed in. But the read I’m getting from Johnson today is that there will be no such adjustment period this time around.
“I think [Swift]’s accelerating his vision here at this point, and coach [Eric] Studesville has been fantastic for him with the reads and being able to know the intent of where we’re trying to hit things,” Johnson said. “He bounces it when we’re supposed to bounce it, he hits it right on the spot when it’s there, and then he cuts it up. I think he’s doing a really good job right now. We’ve just gotta get him to that first week nice and healthy; I think he’s primed for a big year, though.”
D’Andre Swift runs with the ball against Lions linebacker Jack Campbell at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn ImagesOn his quarterback, Caleb Williams, who was challenged to do the easy stuff better after proving he could do the difficult things last year, Johnson sees the arrow pointing in the right direction for a quarterback who is more seasoned than the version we saw last year.
“I think that’s been the best thing this camp, just the anticipation, the timing, understanding where we want to put the football,” Johnson said. “He’s not afraid to put it into a tight window; he trusts his pass catchers. A year ago, I think a lot of the things were foreign to him, and now you can tell he’s got some banked reps and he’s able to anticipate where he wants to go with the football.”
Rookie Report: Promising Outlook for Malik Muhammad, Dillon Thieneman, and Sam Roush
With Kyler Gordon likely destined to open the regular season on the PUP list, guaranteeing him to miss the first four games of the season, rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad has seen the lion’s share of the reps at nickelback during training camp and the preseason.
Johnson likes what he’s seen from the former Longhorn, particularly his physicality.
“It’s like any rookie; there are always ups and downs, there are bumps in the road, but we’re really pleased with the path that he’s on right now,” Johnson said. “I think he’s doing a great job. He’s a competitor. Sometimes those young guys, little guys in particular, are they willing to tackle to the degree that we want here? I think he’s answered that bell. So, really excited about his trajectory right now.”
Malik Muhammad (24) after a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn ImagesMuhammad got his head coach’s stamp of approval for his willingness to play physical and meet their standards for tackling out of the gate. Fellow rookie Dillon Thieneman received praise for his robotic work ethic and his progress through training camp and the preseason, where his focus on taking the right angles to the football from a variety of alignments has impressed his head coach most.
This is what Johnson said of the Bears’ first-round pick:
“I just joked around with the team the other day; I said I don’t even know what his voice sounds like. He just comes in to work and gets after it. He’s a little bit robotic like that, in a good way. I’m saying that as a compliment; he just puts his head down and grinds.”
“What you’ve seen is slow and steady progress throughout [training camp]. We’ve seen some of the ball production, last week certainly in Cincinnati with an interception; that was one of the best plays of that practice. What you’re seeing now is him really honing in on taking good angles, whether he’s the quarters safety, post safety, down safety; it really doesn’t matter where he’s aligning, he’s making sure he’s taking good angles and stopping the football that way. We’re really pleased with where he’s at.”
On the other side of the ball, Johnson praised rookie tight end Sam Roush, who, unlike Muhammad and Thieneman, doesn’t have to be thrust into an immediate key contributor. Roush will have a longer runway, like Colston Loveland did the year before, and according to Johnson, that’s critical for a rookie tight end.
Sam Roush (87) runs the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images“He’s building that trust. There are flashes that get you really, really excited; is it at the level of consistency that we want it? No, the answer is no. I’m not surprised by that, either. I think he’s going to be a phenomenal football player for a long time in this league; it’s just that there are a lot of things on the plate for a rookie tight end.
“I think it’s right up there with quarterback just in terms of the amount of mental strain that we put on these guys with the running game, pass protection, route running, and the faster we can get him to play, the better off he’s going to be in the long run. It’s by design, very challenging for him right now… we’re very hard on him, and he’s answering that call.”
All in all, the feedback from Johnson on three rookies and two key offensive veterans was pretty optimistic, even with all the noise surrounding the injuries the team is dealing with in camp.
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