While the Chicago Bears were captivating the city of Chicago and their fanbase, they were also capturing attention around the league as Ben Johnson brought plenty of success last year in his first season as head coach.
Johnson played a pivotal role in the development of quarterback Caleb Williams, and the duo carried the team to an 11-win season with a NFC North title, which included beating the Green Bay Packers twice in three meetings last season. There were several changes made to the offensive side of the roster this offseason, mainly with the retirement of center Drew Dalman and the trade that send veteran receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills.
With those moves, Chicago will look to lean on new and younger names, especially at wide receiver, where Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III find themselves atop the depth chart. The youth movement for the Bears offense, on top of Ben Johnson’s leadership has many excited about the potential for this team, including NFL Network and “Good Morning Football” analyst former linebacker, Manti Te’o.
“Ben Johnson has the right hand and that’s the run game,” Te’o said. “What he has in Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift, that’s his right. If you’re the Chicago Bears, if you get off track, off pace, off rhythm, Johnson will just go back to that right hand and he established that in his first year. That left hand, that’s the flavor, that’s the emotion. Do you want me to make it more exciting? As Ben Johnson, aka The Conductor, and he gets his right hand to be consistent, because of that run game, the stuff he has with Luther Burden and Rome Odunze, he’ll able to tap into his left hand and make it more exciting for the Bears. I love where they are at right now. As long as he (Johnson) has that run game, he’ll be just fine.”
The Bears offense was undoubtedly propelled by the efficiency of the run game, led by both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, giving Chicago one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks in Johnson’s first season. There’s much more youth at the top of the depth chart for the Bears coming into the 2026 season, especially at the playmaker positions, bringing plenty of pressure and responsibility to the players. But with Johnson leading the way, there’s plenty of optimism around the franchise.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: NFL analyst explains why he’s all-in on Bears offense in 2026
Reporting by Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire | USA TODAY Network
