Bear Digest

Ben Johnson Ushers out the Cardiac Bears and Anticipates Change

Departing message: It was a fun ride while it lasted for the 2025 Bears but they didn't really completely fit the coach's vision for the team, so the roster must be altered.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ben Johnson expects a different look for next year with a team that benefited from this year's experiences.
Ben Johnson expects a different look for next year with a team that benefited from this year's experiences. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Anyone who expected Ben Johnson to take a few bows, dwell for a long period on the 2025 Bears and their comebacks, and project this as a building block for next season came away dejected from his postseason address.

Those who understand NFL stands for "not for long," applauded. They're going to be out to improve and get past the divisional round.

Johnson thanked the players, ownership.

"It was special and I said that at the end of the year," Johnson said. "They believed that and I'll forever be grateful for what they were able to do this season."

That was that.

Then it was on to improving the team. Johnson set the tone that there will be changes and maybe even big ones once he and GM Ryan Pole sit down to figure out what exactly is needed to complete his vision.

The general message conveyed was the team did something  exciting, lit up the city with Caleb Williams' comebacks, but it isn't the type of team, roster, or exact approach Johnson envisions. There will be change and must be to stay competitive and maintain the upper hand in the NFC North.

"We go back to Square One," Johnson said. "It's back to the bottom again and we've got to build this thing back up. Ryan and I have some real difficult decisions to make over the course of this offseason, but we're committed to bringing in competitive players, football players that are going to make us better time an time again.

"The thing is, you can look at 2025 and you can say 'Hey, it's a great start.' But the truth is it was really hard to accomplish what we accomplished, and it wasn't good enough, and it's going to be that much harder to put ourselves in that position again next season."

The goal is to make things easier on themselves and put together a roster capable of more closely replicating Johnson's vision. It will be on Johnson and Ryan Poles to collaborate and accomplish this.

Accomplishments

Still, Johnson couldn't disregard everything they accomplished, and he listed those.

"The No. 1 thing was physicality," Johnson said. "I thought we were a physical unit on tape. That always starts in the trenches with your big guys, but I really think your little guys on the perimeter, they really helped define that. I thought we had receivers that were selfless. They were willing to block for their buddies. I thought we had DBs that were willing to tackle. I thought that showed up these last two games in particular. Really proud of that. So physicality was the No. 1 thing that we hang our hat on.

"No. 2 is being sound, playing sound football, being fundamentally sound and being schematically sound. And I thought that showed up week-in and week-out. We still can get better in some areas, like when I think about being fundamentally sound, we got to do a better job catching the football next year, and I can tell you right now that'll be a point of emphasis for us when they come back in the springtime."

Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Colston Loveland all come to mind in the divisional playoff game there.

The last part that can transfer to some extent is staying poised in tight games, but only somewhat. Teams that live that way, die that way. The Vikings had finishes like the Bears two years ago, then stepped back.

"That ended up being our identity there for the most of the season and showed up in the playoffs as well," Johnson said.

Poles agreed. It was fun while it lasted.

"I heard the whole 'Cardiac Bear' thing," GM Ryan Poles explained. "I'd rather not be the Cardiac Bears but if that's what that game needs that's what you need to do. But I do think you need to win close games when you get down to that two minutes, that's important—they repped that a lot and the guys were prepared for it.

"Yeah, I don't think you want to be living on the edge all the time but what I think you can take from the season is we were able to have poise down the stretch  of games and be poised to finish and guys made plays when they need to be made. I don't think that's an area that you ever want to shy away from."

It will be the legacy of the 2025 Bears but  Johnson's pet saying comes into play. They were good. If they’re going to become best they need to be better and for that to happen means changes to the roster.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.