Ben Johnson Owned His Biggest Mistake From Last Year — And It Might Alter The Bears’ Draft
One of the things that is so difficult to find in head coaches across any sport is self-reflection. These guys reached the top of their professions by operating a certain way. Many of them can’t imagine that way can be wrong and require changes. It’s the players or the front office that are wrong. However, there are a select few willing to look inward and ask a simple question: Was I, in some way, the problem? Head coach Ben Johnson admitted that was the case when he took time to look back on the 2025 season.
Nobody will ever dispute that last year was a success. Taking a 5-12 team to 11-6, winning the division, and winning a playoff game in your first season is something no other Chicago Bears head coach has ever done. Much of that was thanks to Johnson’s incredible work at boosting the offense into the top 10. However, he admitted at the owners meetings in Arizona that he didn’t devote enough time to helping the defense, both before and during the season. That is something he is already in the process of rectifying.
Johnson said he spent so much time installing a new offense and teaching the scheme that it drew his attention away from defense and special teams.
“When I watch the self-scout, there’s multiple cut-ups that I’m not proud of,” he said. “I take that personally and (it) makes me feel like I should have done a better job, either coaching the coaches or coaching the players, or spending just a little bit more time making sure that what we were doing was the right thing that particular week.
“And so there’s a lot of that going on. But the time management portion of it, I think I can tweak a little bit and help us out.”
This offseason, he has split his time between offense and defense and has attended nearly every defensive staff meeting, an experience he found “eye-opening.”
Ben Johnson feels he didn’t do enough to help Dennis Allen.
That isn’t an indictment of the Bears’ defensive coordinator. He did a tremendous job under brutal circumstances, mostly a rash of injuries to several starters. The problems lay in the team’s efforts to upgrade the unit last spring and the weekly preparation, which often led to some ugly performances. It’s the head coach’s job to help in both of those areas. Johnson’s admission actually explains a lot about how the 2025 offseason unfolded. It never felt like the Bears were as sharp about acquiring defensive players as they were about acquiring offensive players.
| Player | Position | Acquisition Type | Former Team / College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dayo Odeyingbo | DE | Free Agency | Indianapolis Colts |
| Grady Jarrett | DT | Free Agency | Atlanta Falcons |
| Nick McCloud | CB | Free Agency | New York Giants |
| Shaun Wade | CB | Free Agency | New England Patriots |
| Nahshon Wright | CB | Free Agency | Minnesota Vikings |
| Shemar Turner | DT | NFL Draft (Rd 2) | Texas A&M |
| Ruben Hyppolite II | LB | NFL Draft (Rd 4) | Maryland |
| Zah Frazier | CB | NFL Draft (Rd 5) | UTSA |
Odeyingbo was a major disappointment even before his Achilles injury. Jarrett played better down the stretch after a knee injury had hobbled him. Turner wasn’t overly productive before tearing his ACL. Hyppolite didn’t accomplish much in his limited opportunities, and Frazier didn’t participate in any team activities at all. Only Wright came through as a great signing with five interceptions and a Pro Bowl nod. That was due more to blind luck and great coaching from Allen and Al Harris than great scouting.
Johnson’s influence may already be in action.
We know for a fact that the head coach had his fingerprints all over the team’s offensive acquisitions last year. Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, Ozzy Trapilo, and Kyle Monangai were all thanks to his direct collaboration with general manager Ryan Poles. From the way he spoke on Tuesday, it sounds like he’s been far more involved in defensive additions compared to last year, and you can actually see the shift based on the Bears’ work in free agency.
Additions like safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush felt far more deliberate and smart compared to last year’s sloppy big swings. Both came at reasonable prices and fit the vision Johnson and Allen want for that defense. This doesn’t even include defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, who is an underrated addition to their rotation. If this is a taste of things to come, it bodes well for the Bears’ plans for the upcoming NFL draft. We all know the team will focus heavily on defense, but it feels like Johnson is putting his sharp mind and attention to detail into that side of the ball far more than he did last year.