The Chicago Bears just wrapped up what many would consider a successful season after going 11-6, winning the NFC North and earning the franchise’s first postseason win in 15 years. But head coach Ben Johnson is far from satisfied and is already focused on 2026.

During his end-of-year press conference on Wednesday, Johnson reflected on his first year as head coach, where he was proud of two things that came through with his team’s identity: Physicality and fundamentals. Johnson pointed out the team can still get better with fundamentals, and in doing so he singled out a specific area of improvement that he’ll be looking at: Dropped passes.

“When I think about being fundamentally sound, we have to do a better job catching the football next year,” Johnson said. “And I can tell you right now, that’ll be a point of emphasis for us when they come back in the springtime.”

It was an issue that was prevalent in Chicago’s divisional playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, where there were a significant amount of dropped passes, including Rome Odunze dropping a sure-fire touchdown in the end zone on the opening possession. Sure, the weather could’ve played a role, but dropped passes have been an issue for the Bears all season.

According to Next Gen Stats, quarterback Caleb Williams had the most passing yards lost (404 yards) due to drops during the 2025 regular season. Chicago had 29 dropped passes last season, which was the fifth-most in the NFL. Johnson made it clear it will be a focal point heading into the offseason program, and the hope is the Bears offense can clean things up and make strides in Year 2 under Johnson.

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson stressed improvement in one specific area for Bears

Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect