Rolling into training camp with less than two weeks left, Chicago Bears fans are feeling pretty good about what's to come for the franchise.
Last season, the Bears finished with an 11-6 overall record and won the NFC North, thanks to head coach Ben Johnson completely changing the culture and taking the offense to new heights. Now anything less than a trip to the NFC Conference Championship game feels like a failure for a team that just wanted to be in the playoffs last year.
Bleacher Report writer Brad Gagnon shared the one word that would describe the vibes of each NFL team before training camp starts. Gagnon used "evolving" for the Bears.
"This has been an offseason of small-ish tweaks to a team that is already on track with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Cautious optimism in Chicago."
Ben Johnson bringing Caleb Williams along for "evolving" Bears
Everything about this Bears team has changed over the past year since Johnson arrived, but the most impactful move he has made is the work he's doing with Williams. Last year saw a complete shift in the way Williams played the game.
While the accuracy leaves much to be desired, Williams became more clutch in the biggest moments, leading an NFL record seven comebacks and game-winning drives. He made the most incredible throws of the year week after week late in the season.
The Bears' offense, in general, saw a change that many fans knew was coming, but arrived earlier than expected. Johnson brought innovation to the scheme and opened up the offense in ways they had never done before.
Entering the 2026 season, the only real major concern about the Bears is on defense, with the pass rush and the secondary. As long as the unit can stay healthy and get to the quarterback, they should be able to manage things enough so that the offense can carry them throughout the season.
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This roster will continue to evolve as the 2026 season rolls along, with more work needing to be done. If Johnson can evolve this offense into a top unit, a Super Bowl could be brought home to Chicago soon enough.
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