Bears' Ben Johnson Explains How He's Changed 'Significantly' as Play-Caller Ahead of 2026 Season

Ahead of his second season as head coach of the Chicago Bears, Ben Johnson expressed his belief Tuesday that he is a better offensive play-caller now than in the past.

Speaking to Larry Mayer of the Bears' official website, Johnson noted that he has changed "fairly significantly" from a play-calling perspective, before adding, "I'd like to think I'm better in situations than I've been in the past. You continue to grow and you learn from your own mistakes."

Prior to leading the Bears to an NFC North title and a playoff win in his first year at the helm, Johnson was the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator from 2022 to 2024.

With Johnson as the OC, Detroit had one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL from 2022 to 2024, ranking in the top five in both total offense and scoring offense each season.

Johnson instantly made the Bears' offense a top-10 unit last season, as they were sixth in total offense and ninth in scoring offense.

That marked a massive improvement from 2024 when Chicago was last in the league in total offense and 28th in scoring.

Johnson helped raise the play of quarterback Caleb Williams in his second season, along with getting major production out of running back D'Andre Swift, wide receivers D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze, and a trio of rookies in tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Luther Burden III and running back Kyle Monangai.

While Moore is gone following a trade to the Buffalo Bills, most of the Bears' other offensive weapons are back in the fold, and Johnson expressed excitement over how he will utilize them in 2026.

"We have different guys this year than we had last year and certainly anywhere else I've been," Johnson said. "The challenge is making sure that we're all coordinated and on the same page and putting them all in a spot to succeed. 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 [tight end] Cole [Kmet].

"We have this whole slew of weapons we're looking to maximize. I think that's the fun part. The plays don't matter so much to me; it's more so, how do we get these guys the ball in space to do what they do so well?"

The Bears entered last season as an upstart of sorts after divisional foes Detroit, Green Bay and Minnesota all made the playoffs in 2024.

However, the Bears are now the team to beat after winning the NFC North and beating the Packers in the playoffs last season.

Johnson's continued evolution as a head coach and play-caller will be key to the Bears' success this season, as will the development of Williams.