Chicago Bears ‘want to dominate’ under Ben Johnson. But they also know ‘hype don’t win you no games.’
For the first time since becoming the Chicago Bears coach , Ben Johnson stood in front of the room and addressed his team Monday.
Players had returned to Halas Hall for the beginning of the voluntary offseason program, marking the first time Johnson and his players were all in the same room.
“(It was) just setting the tone for what we want to do in here and really just having a sense of urgency right now,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson said.
Speaking with the media a day later, several players talked Tuesday of feeling Ben Johnson’s intensity and confidence in front of the room. There was also an underlying understanding that the work starts now — in April.
“He jumped out there and said a bunch of dos, said a bunch of don’ts and set a precedent for what we’re going to be like as a team, finding our identity and all of that,” quarterback Caleb Williams said. “We’re excited. Obviously we have to put in the work. Can’t be too excited because the work hasn’t begun.”
Monday marked a minor milestone on the road to the 2025 season. As Williams pointed out, the work is only just beginning. There’s a lot of newness at Halas Hall. Nearly the entire coaching staff is new, and the players are just beginning to build relationships with their position coaches. There’s a feeling-out process that will take months, not days or weeks.
Johnson has energized the building since his arrival. That much is apparent. It was apparent the day he arrived in Lake Forest and gave a short speech to team employees in the lobby at Halas Hall. It was apparent, too, days later when he addressed the media, the organization and the fans during his opening news conference in January.
Up until now, the Bears players knew Johnson only through what they saw from the Detroit Lions offense. They were intimately aware of what that offense could do because they had to try to defend it twice a year.
They could feel the way the Lions offensive line smacked opponents in the mouth. They could see the creativity of the play caller and his play designs. They could sense the confidence with which that group executed those plays.
“What he was able to do, and just the mentality and what the offense wanted to do to opponents, it was (to) put up a lot of points,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “You can feel that. We don’t just want to win, but we want to win by a lot. We want to dominate.”
While Johnson isn’t bringing his Lions playbook with him to Chicago, he is bringing that mentality and edge. His offense will walk onto the field believing it can score a touchdown on every possession. His defense wants to take the ball out of its opponent’s hands.
“Would you rather win by seven points or 70 points?” Jaylon Johnson said, later adding: “It’s not just about barely winning or barely getting by but dominating.”
That’s the mentality of the new coach, and the players hope to embody it. The Bears are no longer in the throes of a rebuild, as they were for the first two years after hiring general manager Ryan Poles in 2022. Williams, the No. 1 draft pick a year ago, is no longer a rookie. Ben Johnson is coming to Chicago with the intention of winning games — and winning games now.
“There’s no question it can happen in 2025,” Johnson said during his introductory news conference. “It depends on how hard we’re willing to work and how much we’re willing to sacrifice.”
The work and sacrifice start now.
Bears fans have every right to feel excited about what Johnson brings to their team. The players are back in the building and the draft is around the corner. There’s a lot to look forward to.
There’s also a long way to go. Talking about winning games by 70 points is fun in early April. It’s also just talk. Wanting to emulate a mentality is one thing. Actually doing it won’t happen overnight.
Jaylon Johnson knows that as well as anyone. Entering his sixth NFL season, he’s now on his fourth head coach and fifth defensive coordinator.
“I’ve been through it too many times, man,” he said. “I’m going to get excited when we win in November and December.”
With longtime long snapper Patrick Scales no longer on the team, Jaylon Johnson and tight end Cole Kmet — drafted on the same day in 2020 — are now the longest-tenured Bears players. They’ve never won more than eight games in a season.
There has been reason to get excited before. There have been great offseasons on paper.
“The talk, the hype and all that — I mean, hype don’t win you no games,” Jaylon Johnson said. “I’ve been here a minute. I’ve been through the hype, and we don’t win no games. So for me, if it’s not about winning, quite honestly, I don’t really care about it.”
