The Chicago Bears have made a couple of eyebrow-raising decisions this offseason, but the explanation for just about anything the team is doing now is fairly simple: ownership and front office leadership trust head coach Ben Johnson to build the roster in his image.
Bears chairman George McCaskey made as much clear late last week with a simple six-word message on his second-year head coach.
“He’s the face of the franchise,” McCaskey said, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
Even Bears QB Caleb Williams Taking Back Seat to Ben Johnson Heading into Season
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
That is a bolder statement to make than it might seem on the surface, namely because starting quarterback Caleb Williams is on a path of rapid ascension after improving meaningfully in multiple ways last season, including reducing his sacks-taken figure from 68 to 24 sacks year over year while throwing just seven interceptions across 568 attempts.
Williams is an obvious leader, both in word and deed. He proved himself among the most clutch QBs last season with seven fourth-quarter comebacks. He is a true dual-threat player with the ability to make plays out of structure. Not to mention, he was the No. 1 overall pick of GM Ryan Poles in 2024, the year before Chicago hired Johnson away from the division rival Detroit Lions.
Williams struggled with his accuracy and has a considerable journey remaining to establish himself as one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. But after Chicago won the NFC North for the first time in seven years and the made the playoffs for the first time in five years last season, there is no question that Williams’ star is on the rise.
And yet, were you to ask Williams directly, he might agree that the Bears are even more Johnson’s team than his own.
“Oftentimes, it feels like we’re looking into a mirror,” Williams told Cam Newton on the former QB’s podcast in June. “Because when those moments come up, I know he has all faith in me, and he knows I got all faith in him.”
Ryan Poles ‘at Peace’ With Ben Johnson at Helm in Chicago
GettyChicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
Poles also has supreme faith in Johnson after he turned around the franchise’s fortunes during his first year.
“It made me proud, because there has to be trust to do that,” Poles told Cronin of handing over the proverbial keys to the franchise. “It’s almost like it’s your baby and you’ve got to hand it over, but when you hand it over to the right person, you have a ton of confidence and you’re at peace. … This is the most at peace that I’ve been.”
Perhaps that is why Poles, who has never been shy about taking swings on personnel decisions, hasn’t rushed to ink a left tackle like Taylor Decker in free agency as a replacement for the injured Ozzy Trapilo, and has instead allowed Johnson to staff the position with Braxton Jones, Jedrick Wills Jr. and Theo Benedet.
It is also perhaps why, despite one of the worst groups of pass rushers in 2025, Chicago is betting on health and improvement from both Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo rather than spending on a veteran free agent like Jadeveon Clowney or rushing back to the negotiating table to trade for Maxx Crosby.
The Bears are strong candidates for regression from their 11-win campaign in Johnson’s first season, most significantly because they led the league in turnovers created and turnover margin last year and also won a heap of close games after trailing late.
Both of those outcomes tend to be anomalies to some degree, so it would not be a surprise if the Bears struggled and went 9-8 or 8-9 after an 11-6 season. But even if that happens, the team is still betting on Johnson top to bottom, and he continues to look like solid wager.
Bears Issue Bold 6-Word Message on Ben Johnson Ahead of Year 2