During the first quarter of his first preseason game as Chicago Bears coach, Ben Johnson watched his defense dig deep on four consecutive goal-to-go plays by the Miami Dolphins and loved what he saw.
On fourth down, with the Bears defending the final yard outside Soldier Field’s south end zone, linebacker Noah Sewell provided the knockout, shooting a gap and blowing up a Jaylen Wright run in the backfield a split second after the handoff.
A 15-play Dolphins drive ended at the Bears 4, a turnover on downs that fired up Johnson so much that he spontaneously broke into a roaring flex on the sideline. (You’re welcome, Chicago, for that new Bears celebration GIF.)
A short time later, as Johnson’s offense prepared for its own fourth-and-goal magic, the television broadcast showed him barking into the headset, offering quarterback Tyson Bagent — and whoever else may have been listening — some, um, spirited direction.
“I can’t remember exactly what he said,” Bagent said. “But even if I did, I probably can’t repeat it here. It was something like, ‘Hey, we’re going for this!’ Throw a couple filler words in there.”
That fiery exchange preceded a nifty 4-yard touchdown pass from Bagent to Maurice Alexander for the Bears’ first touchdown in a 24-24 tie. After the game, Johnson had zero idea what he might have been shouting.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing or what I’m saying,” he said with a grin. “But, yeah, we were looking to score.”
Whatever the case, that sequence was filed away as additional evidence of the passion, fire and competitive chutzpah Johnson has been emanating for most of the past seven months.
Never mind that 20 of the Bears’ 22 starters weren’t playing against the Dolphins and that it was just the first of three August exhibitions. As Johnson reminded his players, that first preseason game still mattered — as a chance to compete, as an opportunity for growth, as a team effort to establish a ferocious identity.
It’s that kind of messaging and motivation, that kind of presence from Johnson that has captured Chicago’s imagination before he even has made it to his first regular season. Couple that with Johnson’s engaged, forthright manner with everyone he encounters, and it’s easy to understand why he has been embraced so quickly, taking the stage with equal parts confidence, purpose and intensity.
When Bears general manager Ryan Poles began his extensive coaching search in January, his initial impression of Johnson was a brainy offensive genius, a play caller with elite vision and feel. But Poles wondered from afar how Johnson’s heart beat, how his blood pumped.
It didn’t take long to recognize Johnson had building-moving ambition and competitive hunger he wears on his sleeve.
“It’s funny,” Poles told the Tribune. “When you scout players, you’re always asking, ‘Will you have to push this player or do you have to pull them back?’ And the narrative (on Johnson) made me feel like maybe he was going to have to be pushed.
“But the truth is he’s probably going to have to be pulled back more than anything, just because of the fire he does have and the competitive attitude he brings. It’s outstanding. And he’s a truth teller. That has been well-received by the entire building.”
Selling point
Ah, yes, the honeymoon phase for a new coach can be uplifting, intoxicating even, with every move seen initially as a sign of positive change. In Johnson’s case, there has been an undeniable surge of momentum inside Halas Hall with the 39-year-old first-time head coach drawing considerable praise from not only his bosses, but also players, assistant coaches and fans.
Time will tell, of course, how long Johnson’s approval rating remains so high. So many Bears coaches before him have come in with the wind at their back and a sales brochure that generated excitement.
For Matt Eberflus, it was the HITS principle and his purported unwillingness to let any mistake — big or small — slide. For Matt Nagy, there was the “Be You” mantra and his enthusiastic push to make football fun again.
John Fox had skins on the wall from previous stops, making Super Bowl appearances as head coach of the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers and defensive coordinator of the New York Giants. And Marc Trestman landed with an innovative mad-scientist approach to offense that had everyone’s attention initially.
None of those men won a playoff game with the Bears. Nagy was the only one even to qualify for the postseason. So …
As Johnson’s tenure unfolds, he ultimately will be judged far more on his winning percentage than his personality. His team’s on-field achievement will mean more than any practice-field command or news-conference charm. Much more.
Still, the opportunity to become a primary face and voice of the Chicago Bears isn’t lost on Johnson. And over the last seven months, he has shown an energizing blend of comfort and command with his forward-facing responsibilities.
One of the larger draws of the position, Johnson has emphasized, was the chance to perform for an audience that shares his football passion and desire for high-level success.
“To me, that’s the appeal of this job,” he told the Tribune earlier this month. “You don’t do this because it’s easy. You want a passionate fan base. You want to do this around people who love this game as much as you do.”
Johnson traces much of his self-assurance and fearlessness to his 2018 exit from Miami. He was fired along with Dolphins coach Adam Gase and the rest of the staff, then spent eight months out of football before resurfacing as a quality-control assistant in Detroit.
“For the longest time growing up, I was probably a people pleaser,” Johnson said. “You wanted to make everyone around you happy. Then you get fired in this profession and you have to start all over again. And I’m not saying you throw all caution to the wind. But you learn you’ve got the skin of an armadillo, you can handle criticism and you’re going to be just fine.
“That’s where I’m not worried about this. There is no fear of failure. It’s all about this pursuit of greatness for us as an organization and for these players. That’s really where my mind resides.”
‘You need someone who has thick skin’
When the Bears launched their coaching search, one popular sentiment in league circles centered around the need for presence in the role — particularly on a stage as big as Chicago, with an understandably impatient and demanding fan base longing for a leader who can unlock a run of sustained success while outwardly mirroring their passion and urgency.
“You need someone who knows what the (bleep) they’re doing — point blank,” one NFL general manager said last winter about the Bears vacancy. “You need a leader who can control the room and who can handle the media. When you can command a room, that translates. So you need someone who has some edge. You need someone who has thick skin.”
Another league source with knowledge of the inner workings at Halas Hall recommended the Bears prioritize outward self-confidence during their search.
“Going into Chicago, you have to believe you’re going to be a legend,” the source said. “If you don’t walk into that building exuding that type of confidence, maybe it isn’t the right place for you.”
Loosely translated: Presence matters.
“It’s about command over the locker room,” Bears tight end Cole Kmet said.
Throughout last season’s dizzying and demoralizing two-month tailspin, with the Bears going 84 days between their fourth and fifth victories, it became apparent players just weren’t responding to whatever leadership tactics and troubleshooting methods Eberflus attempted.
While Eberflus may have had the best intentions during his three seasons as Bears coach, his inability to connect with the locker room became problematic. And when the on-field failures became extreme, an erosion of trust accelerated.
After a stunning 18-15 road loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 8 — a defeat sealed when the defense malfunctioned on Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary touchdown pass — a stunned and crushed locker room wondered how their coach would handle the fallout.
There was an opportunity for Eberflus to take ownership of the final-minute implosion and all that led to it. An outward expression of ire would have resonated.
Instead? During an eight-minute, 16-question postgame news conference, Eberflus didn’t really hit anything head on. Not the pain of the loss. Not the maturity lapse and inexcusable assignment gaffe by cornerback Tyrique Stevenson on the Hail Mary. Not his own questionable coaching calls, including an ill-fated handoff to backup offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr. near the goal line in the fourth quarter that Kramer fumbled and the Commanders recovered.
“When you lose a game like that, that is a tough one to swallow after coming back,” Eberflus said from behind a lectern inside Northwest Stadium. “But I also told (the guys) in the same conversation that I was really excited with how they battled back to have a chance to win. It is important to look at that too.”
Eberflus may have been the only one excited — about anything. His words that night didn’t land right with players hoping their coach would express the intense dejection and exasperation they were feeling.
That was just one example of many over three seasons in which Eberflus came across as either clumsy, anxious, befuddled or tone deaf. One league source who monitored the commotion from a distance quickly came to understand why players lost faith in Eberflus’ direction from that point forward.
“These dudes have their phones in their hands before they even get in the shower,” the source said. “So what you say (publicly) matters. And that’s not to say you always have to tell the full truth. But you don’t have to lie.
“Because you have to be fully honest about what everyone saw with their own eyes on Sunday. Please don’t try to convince me to not believe my lying eyes.”
‘The fire in his eyes’
The hope inside Halas Hall is Johnson will prove far more equipped to handle that part of the job thanks to his natural candor, direct communication style and emotional intelligence.
At the NFL owners meetings in March, Bears President/CEO Kevin Warren said he felt energized by Johnson’s arrival, lauding his combination of “intellectual horsepower, football acumen and panache.”
“It attracts you to want to be around him,” Warren said. “There are some people who are demanding and hold people accountable and have all these other attributes, but it’s uncomfortable being in their presence. And so you’re trying to figure out how you can get out of their presence. But Ben has a unique way of pulling you in.”
Quarterback Caleb Williams felt Johnson’s pull during their FaceTime introduction in January, struck by his new coach’s purpose. “You can see the competitiveness in his eyes, the fire in his eyes,” Williams said then.
Seven months later, Williams still is leaning into the fire.
“I feed off things that are competitive. I feed off people who are competitive,” he said. “And having people around you who have the same kind of mindset and thrill for that competitiveness is refreshing.
“In that sense, the fierceness in his eyes I first saw on that first day we spoke and the truth he told on what we’re going to be and how I need to be for the team is real.”
Standard operating procedure
During training camp this month, Johnson has ratcheted up the intensity several notches, most notably on Aug. 5 when he followed the previous day’s team-bonding trip to the beach with one of the more intense and physical camp practices in recent memory.
For the players who experienced that day’s battle, it registered as both a gut check and a buy-in request — a loud and clear message from Johnson that elevated standards had to be not only established but cemented.
Tenth-year veteran safety Kevin Byard enjoyed the grueling practice and hasn’t been shy vocalizing his admiration for Johnson’s intensity and attention to detail.
“I just really enjoy the energy he sets every single day,” Byard said.
Byard was in Tennessee in 2018 when coach Mike Vrabel arrived with similar fervor to awaken the Titans. To Byard, the Johnson experience to date “feels very similar.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re in Year 1, undrafted, Year 10, you’ve got to come in and show (out) every single day,” Byard said. “And show improvement. And you feel it, you know what I mean? … I understand what it is like to have to reset a culture. And I think (Johnson) is doing a great job.”
Over the last four months, Bears players have gotten a clearer understanding of what makes their coach tick — and what makes him tock. Kmet described Johnson’s detail-oriented nature as “like an obsession.”
“He just can’t let it go,” Kmet said. “You feel that from him. Whether it’s on the field, in the meeting room, he brings that with him wherever he’s at.”
Added wide receiver Rome Odunze: “Man, it’s the truth and the honesty of it all. It’s not an attack of character. There’s just truth and honesty about the execution and effort we’re putting out on the field. And I think we can all respect that as professionals.
“We all know the standards. And when we fall short, we need somebody to call it out and tell us it wasn’t good enough. He has been that voice for us.”
For Lions players who came to understand Johnson’s DNA and objectives, there was a buy-in to his demanding, no-nonsense style. When the results followed, with the Lions becoming a two-time division champion and Super Bowl contender behind Johnson’s prolific offense, it made even more sense. But there was also an acknowledgment that Johnson’s temperament isn’t for everyone.
So Bears players must continue to adjust. And as time moves along, Johnson ultimately might have to manage — and perhaps at times soften — his intense manner, making certain his push for excellence remains more constructive than abrasive.
Earlier this month, wide receiver DJ Moore said he has grown to trust Johnson’s attitude.
“He can get mad and then start smiling at the same time. It’s kind of creepy,” Moore said. “Because you don’t know if he’s serious or if he’s joking. So you just have to take everything he says seriously and go from there.”
Moore described Johnson’s constant feedback as “real, real blunt.”
“Sometimes it’s like, you just have to be a man about it and not just tuck your tail,” he said. “You just have to take the coaching.”
Raising the bar
Make no mistake, Poles hired Johnson less for his intensity and more for his proven offensive acumen and artistry. Johnson was the architect and overseer of a Lions offense that scored 68 regular-season touchdowns in 2024 — the same total the Bears offense scored in the previous two seasons combined.
In terms of total yardage, Johnson’s second-ranked Lions offense was 45% more productive than the Bears offense, averaging 409.5 yards per game — a number the Bears topped only once in 17 games.
“It just felt like (the Lions) were a well-oiled machine,” Odunze said. “You’d watch it from afar and just be like, ‘Man, they make it look so easy.’ They’d move the ball at will and do whatever they wanted.”
That offered Johnson instant credibility at Halas Hall, evidence his coaching style and methodology work. At minimum, he’s as proven as anyone in the building right now. Thus his push for a microfocus on the details has struck a chord.
To that end, Johnson’s presence with Williams may be as important to the team’s future as anything else. And Williams has taken a leap of faith that his development is in good hands.
“Honestly, it’s just the details and how hard he is on me,” Williams said. “Then you go out there and you try and perfect those details. And you may not perfect them, but when you actually go out and follow those details to a T, you see that it works. So that builds confidence.”
Asked in January how Johnson’s arrival could aid Williams specifically, Poles was forthright.
“He’s going to be challenged to be a professional football player,” Poles said, “to do the little things the right way. That foundation, I know Ben is going to hit that early and often and get that strong. Because you’re going to build everything off of there.”
That’s part of why Williams’ first full offseason with the Bears began with heightened focus on his preparation habits — from film study to note taking — and why huge chunks of camp have been spent dialing him in on all the operational chores he’s responsible for between the time he hears a play call and when he takes a snap.
The volume of information being dumped on Williams has been trumped only by the intensity with which he’s being coached. While Johnson and Williams have been honest that their relationship still is forming, Johnson is unapologetic about how demanding and direct he has been.
Throughout the spring and summer, the fits and starts of progress from Williams and the offense have shown they have a long, long way to go. There are no promises — and to be quite frank, few indicators on the field to this point — that the Johnson-Williams union will click at the level the Bears hope.
Still, the push will continue. As for Johnson’s public declaration that a 70% completion percentage is one of his most important targets for Williams in their first season together? The Bears coach seems almost agitated by the suggestion that he set a remarkably high bar for a second-year quarterback learning a new system — while asking the outside world to keep the spotlight shining on that bar.
“If you want to be a top-five quarterback in this league, you need to complete 70% or more,” Johnson said. “So to me, it’s just natural (to vocalize it). This is what we’re shooting for. I don’t mind it. It doesn’t need to be a secret. We don’t need to whisper about it. Like, we want to be a top-five football team in this league that is competing for championships year in and year out. And we shouldn’t apologize for that.
“Same thing with Caleb. He wants to be one of the best to play the position. Well, if you want to do that, you need to be able to complete 70% or more of your balls.”
Go time
As an obligatory historical reminder, honeymoons don’t typically last long for Bears coaches.
In the post-Mike Ditka era, across 32 seasons and seven coaches, only Lovie Smith won more than 40 regular-season games. Only Smith and Dave Wannstedt posted multiple winning seasons. And since Smith’s exit after the 2012 campaign, none of the last four Bears coaches made it to a fifth season.
Don’t forget, Nagy arrived at Halas Hall seven years ago brimming with enthusiasm and self-confidence and generating similar buzz to what Johnson is producing now. During Nagy’s first summer in Lake Forest, Bears players described him as “a rock star,” lauding his positive energy, vision and collaborative nature. He legitimately reenergized the building.
And after propelling the Bears to 12 wins and an NFC North crown in his first season, he wound up on the NFL Honors stage during Super Bowl week, accepting the league’s Coach of the Year award from Joe Namath and Barry Sanders.
In that moment, Nagy’s play-calling creativity, his “Beautiful Mind” white board, his “Club Dub” grand opening were all propped up as exhibits of his coaching brilliance. But over the next three seasons, his teams failed to finish above .500: 8-8 in 2019, then 8-8 again, then 6-11. Despite multiple big swings, Nagy also failed to stabilize the quarterback position.
He was fired after the finale of his fourth season, a sobering reminder of how rapidly good vibes can turn into tomato barrages.
That’s a cautionary tale as Johnson leads the Bears toward a big-stage season opener Sept. 8 at Soldier Field against the Minnesota Vikings on “Monday Night Football.” One way or another, that night’s results will be held up as a progress report, setting the tone for the season and giving Johnson a taste of this expectation-heavy experience.
One of his core directives — “Get comfortable being uncomfortable” — likely will apply.
On his first day on the job in January, Johnson identified the Bears as “a sleeping giant” he had come to awaken and spoke of his plans to set the bar “higher than it has ever been set before.” His arrival came with great enthusiasm and eagerness.
“I get goosebumps right now just thinking about being the head coach of the Chicago Bears,” Johnson said. “I know exactly what this role and this responsibility requires. And I cannot wait to get to work.”
For Johnson, the football part seems to come easy. The breadth of his new job, though, will require more. And his response to all the demands and pressure will prove telling.
One thing is for certain: Johnson feels readier than ever to take that test, and he arrives at the starting gate with a groundswell of support behind him.