The NFL got a 19-game sample size of Ben Johnson’s offense with the Chicago Bears last season and the results largely went in Chicago’s favor, especially late in the season.

The Bears fielded one of the league’s most explosive units finishing Top-10 in total touchdowns while boasting the NFC’s top ranked run game. It was a true balanced attack paired with Johnson’s aggressive play-calling and innovative designs.

Heading into his second year in Chicago and another season working with quarterback Caleb Williams, many on the outside are anticipating regression from Johnson’s squad. His answer? Bring it on, because you haven’t seen anything yet.

Chicago Bears HC Ben Johnson reflects on first season and the idea of defenses figuring him out

Johnson served as the offensive coordinator for three seasons with the Detroit Lions before getting his first head coaching opportunity in Chicago. Naturally, the new role presented new challenges for Johnson to look back and learn from.

“I’d like to think I’m better in situations than I’ve been in the past,” Johnson told reporters on Tuesday. “You continue to grow, and you learn from your own mistakes or things that have gone well for you. You look to tailor it to the guys that are available, and we have different guys this year than we had last year and certainly anywhere else I’ve been. The challenge is making sure that we’re all coordinated, on the same page, and putting them all in a spot to succeed.”

Compared to this time last year, Johnson believes his offense is further along than last season. Which is a good sign considering the Bears are slated to face the third-toughest defensive slate in the league based on 2025 DVOA rankings. However, when asked if he has any concerns about defenses figuring him out, Johnson showed no signs of worry.

“I feel like we’re so multiple in what we do and what we put on tape, it’s really not a huge concern of mine of teams feeling like they’ve got a bead on it,” he said. “When you have a quarterback like we have, too, there is a lot of unpredictability that comes along with it.”

Old faces and new faces

When talking about the offense, the first thing you talk about is the quarterback . The Bears have a budding superstar under center in Caleb Williams, who’s quickly becoming one of the league’s most marketable stars. On the field, Williams has much to improve upon going into Year 3 and his second season under Johnson’s offense.

Analysts have spent months dissecting Williams’ inconsistent play within structure and his bottom-of-the-league completion percentage. There’s much to improve there, but there’s also endless upside for Johnson to unlock in Williams’ game beyond those “basic” aspects of quarterback play.

“As he continues to grow and develop, if the structure of the play is there for him, then he’ll take it. But what he can do out of structure is really unique, and I think it makes us even more difficult to defend,” Johnson explained.

As for the weaponry, the Bears lost a top veteran in DJ Moore this offseason and plan to replace him with a young nucleus of returning pass catchers headlined by Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet. Not to mention the new faces such as Kalif Raymond, Zavion Thomas, and Sam Roush.

“The challenge is making sure that we’re all coordinated and on the same page and putting them all in a spot to succeed,” Johnson said. “But I love the challenge of looking at Luther Burden and how we get him the ball and maximize what he does best, along with Rome and Colston and Cole. We have this whole slew of weapons we’re looking to maximize. That’s the fun part.”

Fun for Johnson, a nightmare for other teams set to face the Bears this upcoming season. As challenging as the slate looks, Johnson made sure to remind everyone just how dangerous his squad can be as well.