Chicago Bears fans are inching closer to seeing the very first game of head coach Ben Johnson's career as the franchise's new leader. Johnson has already answered his first big coaching decision before the game even started.
While appearing on CHGO's Hoge & Jahns show, Johnson revealed to the guys that he will be resting most of the starters and already has a plan in place to make sure the starters get the work they need.
"There's going to be a number of guys that aren't playing in this game. I haven't even told the team this yet, but there's going to be a number of guys that aren't playing in the game so we are going to get great work in the joint practice. We have a number of things scheduled around the game for those guys that aren't playing whether it's the day before or the day after. We're actually going to end up getting more reps for them than they would of had we played them Week 1 in this game. I'm actually really excited about that. I think the numbers as we stand right now , subject to change, are probably nine guys on offense and nine guys on defense that won't be playing."
Johnson did confirm right after his response that quarterback Caleb Williams is one of those guys that won't be suiting up.
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While most NFL teams are expected not to play their starters to protect them from being hurt, it is an interesting move from Johnson to let most of the starters rest. In particular, not letting Williams and the starting offense get at least one drive could be seen as either a good or bad choice.
There has been a lot of news circulating about how poorly the Bears started their training camp offensively. The pre-snap issues with lining up and Williams find themselves struggling with missed passes and turnovers.
Things have improved lately at training camp, with the Bears having both good and bad practices. It's the inconsistency that has gotten some worried and might have assumed Johnson would play his starters for at least one drive against Miami.
On the other hand, the Bears have faced some injury concerns with Cole Kmet and Kyler Gordon. Before that, it was their long snapper, Scott Daly, and Jaylon Johnson hadn't practiced at all during training camp.
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It's the safest choice to let the key starters rest, including Williams, and get them ready for next week's game against the Buffalo Bills.