New-look Bears open 2025 training camp hoping to end years of rebuilds
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Caleb Williams, No. 18, talks with head coach Ben Johnson during a workout at Halas Hall in June. Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
The Bears begin training camp at Halas Hall on Wednesday with a new coach, a new offensive line and a new sense of urgency to bring winning football to Chicago.
Why it matters: The Bears have the talent to turn around a dismal decade that has been marred with rebuilds and yearly retooling.
Flashback: Bears fans have heard this before. Last year, the team pushed the narrative that quarterback Caleb Williams would forgo usual rookie growing pains because the team was emerging from a two-year rebuild.
Reality check: They were wrong. The team struggled with Williams under center and sputtered to a 5-12 record, leading to the in-season firing of head coach Matt Eberflus.
- Eberflus' on-the-field gaffes, like giving up a Hail Mary touchdown to the Commanders and mismanaging the clock in a last-second loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving, were national embarrassments.
State of play: Whiz-kid and former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has taken over this team, which once again, has the goods … on paper.
- Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles made the offensive line the offseason priority, bringing in proven veterans to anchor protection for Williams.
- They used their top draft picks to select tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden to give Williams more weapons.
Between the lines: The Bears brass are hoping Johnson and Williams click, and Johnson is known for high-octane offense and clicking with his quarterbacks, so the chances are good that it will happen here.
- Then again, Johnson has never been a head coach before. The Bears last two head coaches without experience were Eberflus and Matt Nagy.
The other side (of the ball): The defense should be improved as well. The team brought in reinforcements to help Montez Sweat on the defensive line, but it's more about keeping their young players on the field in 2025.
- Safety Jaquan Brisker should be back after missing most of last season with a concussion.
The latest: The Bears' only Pro-Bowler, Jaylon Johnson, has been put on the injury list and will miss the beginning of training camp.
The bottom line: The hype is real and the Bears are hoping to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1985 Super Bowl team with a repeat performance.
- Or at least avoid rebuilding yet again.
If you go: The first public practice at Halas Hall in Lake Forest is Friday.