Sometimes, there's no sugarcoating things: the Ben Johnson era hasn't enjoyed the start the Chicago Bears or their fans hoped for after a hype-filled offseason.
We have more questions than answers thus far in the 2025 NFL campaign after seeing the club embarrassingly fall to 0-2. Chief among the concerns is general manager Ryan Poles, who notably signed a multi-year contract extension this past offseason.
A nightmare Week 2 52-21 loss to Johnson's former employer, the Detroit Lions, already has the Chicago faithful contemplating everything. Their highly coveted head coach was supposed to be the solution to the problems that have continued to plague the Bears under Poles' watch. While it's been a small sample size, that's been far from the case, which is a scathing indictment of the team's top decision-maker.
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Two of Chicago's three second-round picks this year, offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and defensive lineman Shemar Turner, were healthy scratches in Week 2. They probably could've helped in a horrific blowout loss to the Lions. Given their draft pedigree, the rookies should be able to contribute immediately in some capacity.
It's hard to envision Trapilo and Turner making the result in Detroit any worse than it already was. At the very least, they could've soaked up some valuable reps in mop-up duty of the Bears' shellacking at the hands of the Lions. If Johnson isn't comfortable turning to them now, how can we expect that to change when the stakes rise in November, December and (hopefully) January?
Meanwhile, the third second-round newcomer of the bunch, wide receiver Luther Burden III, and first-round tight end Colston Loveland have been active but scarcely used. They've taken a backseat to fine but uninspiring veterans like Olamide Zaccheaus and Cole Kmet. Johnson ostensibly doesn't trust the young guys that Poles has brought in, which is alarming from a short- and long-term outlook.
Moreover, the Bears boast the league's fifth-most expensive defense (h/t Jacob Infante of Pro Football & Sports Network) and just gave up 52 points. Poles has invested significantly in overhauling that side of the ball, though throwing money at the problem hasn't fixed anything. Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded them as the eighth-worst stop unit after Week 1 ($), and they figure to tumble even further down the ranks.
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Poles' new deal keeps him in Chicago through 2029. The goal was to align the duration of his pact with Johnson's. But at this rate, the former could be gone well before then, and the latter may have a short leash with the successive regime.