Bear Digest

Ranking Skill Sets Ben Johnson Requires for a Complete Bears Roster

A look at the skill sets the Bears could stand to add if they hope to make another run for an NFC North title.
Gene Chamberlain|
Run-stopping rates near the top of skill sets required by the Bears to build a roster capable of winning another division title.
Run-stopping rates near the top of skill sets required by the Bears to build a roster capable of winning another division title. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

 The partnership of Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles is about to start a second act.

The first act produced excitement, wins, a division title and players in the draft with great potential for the future, but some whose futures are murky due to injuries—specifically, Ozzy Trapilo and Shemar Turner.

Continuing to build it won't be easy.

"You just have more constraints," Poles said. "More constraints, but at the same time, I don't think the process changes. You're going to identify the guys that fit what we want in our football team, which coach hit, and you just keep trying to acquire those players. We know what they look like, we know how they act, know how they talk and we'll continue to do that."

There are specific skill sets they can use to bolster the roster. Here are the top six ranked. 

6. Long-distance kicking

This is not meant as a knock on Cairo Santos. He has been clutch in poor kicking conditions. To be sure, they could go on with him as the place-kicker for several more seasons if necessary.

Between 2014 and 2024, the average field goal try went from 37.6 to 40.2 in the NFL. Kicks get attempted from longer and longer distances. They get made from longer distances, as well.

Since 2024, kickers made 76% of kicks 50 yards, 71% from 2019-23 and 67% from 2014-18. Since 2024 they made 64% from 55 yards, 57% from 2019-23 and 58% from 2014-18.

By contrast, from 1999-2003 they made 56% from 50 yards and 24% from 55 yards.

Cam Little and Brandon Aubrey seemed like freaks of nature when they were making kicks in the range of 63-65 yards. This is becoming more and more common as the range of kickers has improved.

The only substitute for accuracy is both accuracy and longer range.

It is one big way the Bears can get better but they need to really know what they're doing. They're light years ahead of where they were with Cody Parkey, and ditching Santos would need to be for a powerful and accurate leg.

5. Quality depth

They already have improved depth this year, and in most cases this should get even better simply by another year in the offense or defensive scheme. However, adding players in the draft who are young and highly graded in terms of overall athletic ability to replace players who were undrafted free agent types is essential. It elevates your whole level of backup help.

There is much to be said for undrafted waiver wire pickups who know your offense or  defense like they got with a few players this year, such as C.J. Gardner-Johnson, or those who have been effective special teams players for years. But if you can have young, drafted players with better athletic ability providing the same skill sets, it makes a team that much more explosive in case of injuries or on special teams coverage and returns.

4. Edge versatility

More specifically, the Bears need someone else coming into the edge rotation who fits their needs as both a run stopper and edge rusher. Dominic Robinson made a few plays in the playoffs and at season's end, but in four seasons overall he has underperformed and now becomes an undrafted free agent. Dayo Odeyingbo hadn't even begun to scratch the surface when he went down with an Achilles tear. Shemar Turner had been moved there from tackle, had the right size/speed ratio and flashed, but tore his ACL. Odeyingbo and Turner are not givens to be 100% ready for the start of camp and Turner is inexperienced.

They've found something more in Austin Booker than just a guy who irritates the Packers.

There is much attention given to this thought of trading for Maxx Crosby or signing Trey Hendrickson. For what they would give up to get a player needed for a specific skill set, they would almost be better off signing a cheaper aging vet with pass rush skills as a stop gap until a player they draft can develop into an effective starter for years to come.

3. Run stoppers

This can include edge, but is not specifically that position. Simply put, the Bears stink at stopping the run.

The time when Andrew Billings, T.J. Edwards and Grady Jarrett were their answers to all things stopping the run is finished because of age and injuries. Edwards enjoyed more success and, as the weakside linebacker initially, he fared well. Injuries dogged him and they flipped his position. They're at a point where they can use young, athletic linebackers to handle all aspects of play, but particularly stopping the run.

As for the most important part of stopping the run, they badly need defensive tackles who can do this because Gervon Dexter has shown over three years he doesn't. And Poles has shown he can't find those players at these positions on his own in the draft, despite trying.

This isn't a matter of plugging in another, younger 330-pound lump.

There's more to it. They might address it through the draft, but if they found the Giants receptive to a trade for Dexter Lawrence or the Titans willing to part with Jeffery Simmons, by all means, trade away.

People whine about the Bears' pass rush constantly, and they  did gamble too often with blitzes to apply pressure. However, your pass rush improves exponentially if you stop the run first. Then the opponent becomes predictable.

The Bears gave up 5.0 yards per carry in 2025. That's shameful, and no one needs to worry about their pass rush if they can run it on them at will.

2. Speed

This needs to permeate the roster. They need dramatic doses of it.

The Bears are overmatched in the secondary against Green Bay receivers because of their own lack of speed and the Packers' emphasis on bringing in faster pass catchers. The Lions have Jameson Williams, a 4.3 type of receiver. None of the Bears secondary players possess this type of speed to match it, although Tyrique Stevenson does a decent job of it.

Even if Jaylon Johnson comes back at full health, he lacks 4.3 speed. There's only so much technique and experience can do to prevent big plays from a defensive standpoint. At some point, you need to match speed with speed.

Is Zah Frazier an answer? Their fifth-round cornerback turns 26 early next season, hasn't been in an NFL practice or game, and has played against small-time college or junior college competition. Saying it's a coin flip whether he contributes more than special teams is being generous.

On the other side of the ball, there is speed but not the world-class type  like Jameson Williams provided for Johnson in Detroit. Nor is there Jahmyr Gibbs speed at running back. D'Andre Swift has speed but not what some of the backs in the draft have, like Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price.

1. Scheme fits

Colston Loveland was a nice start. There was no speedy, move-tight end on the roster until last draft. There are other scheme fits for offense and defense required.

Allen's defensive scheme didn't have bulky defensive tackles over 305 pounds in New Orleans. He requires players built like Dexter, except productive against the pass AND run.

Johnson might have the slot receiver to run his offense through in Luther Burden, but he needs to be targeted more by Caleb Williams. Amon-Ra St. Brown had 172 targets this year in Detroit's offense. Burden had 60 in a similar attack for the Bears. That won't work.

Either that, or they need to find another slot who can handle that big assignment in the attack.

Does Cole Kmet fit, or do they need another tight end who counts blocking as his  major strength to complement Loveland? A wide receiver who blocks better downfield than Rome Odunze might be a possibility.

Allen could use linebackers more able to defend the pass. The Bears spent a colossal chunk of cap space in 2023 on Tremaine Edmunds as an all-purpose linebacker and haven't had the results they needed. In his eight seasons, Edmunds was graded by Pro Football Focus in the top half of all starting linebackers against the pass only once. That was the year before he came to Chicago and then received the big contract.

Something similar might be true about their safeties. Do they want to roll the dice on another year from Kevin Byard or on Jaquan Brisker being able to avoid more injuries, or do they find safeties who can play all over the field, from attacking in a blitz to single-high coverage if the other safety blitzes, to lining up in the box to stop the run?

Scheme is the thing and they had only one free agency period and one draft to approach that last year before Johnson and Poles formed their partnership.

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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.