The Chicago Bears are officially in training camp mode, and that’s exciting news for those who follow the team. There are super high expectations for the Bears in the 2025-26 season, because they’re under new leadership with head coach Ben Johnson, who came from the Detroit Lions. Johnson, of course, is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL, so he’ll hopefully work his magic with Caleb Williams and the team.
While hopes are high, the Bears’ practice that went down on Wednesday, July 23, did not go as well as planned. It wasn’t a good start to training camp, to say the very least, and while it would be hyperbole to say that it’s time to freak out, it’s time to at least raise a few eyebrows.
A Bad Look for the Chicago Bears
During the morning training camp session, quarterback Williams threw an interception to Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Then, in a moment that was not pretty for the offense, Johnson made everyone from the first team leave the field after not being able to get lined up correctly.
“The word ‘intense’ was used a lot this spring to describe practice and the shared mentality of Ben Johnson and his coaches,” Courtney Cronin of ESPN shared on X. “That carried over to Day 1 of training camp where the 1st team offense got thrown out of a drill by Johnson during a drill when they couldn’t get lined up properly.”
She added, “We saw that intensity on defense, too, when Dennis Allen had his players doing up-downs. Allen: ‘You have to pay the price. It’s a privilege to be in this defense.'”
Another takeaway, Cronin noted, was rookies Luther Burden III and Zah Frazier not being there. “Burden appears to still be dealing with injuries from the spring (landed on a ball awkwardly in minicamp, sustained a soft tissue (hamstring) injury in OTAs),” she stated. Also, “Nashon Wright was with the 1s during team and 7 on 7 in place of Jaylon Johnson (leg).”
On the quarterback front, Cronin states that “Case Keenum was QB2 today, Tyson Bagent QB3. Bears have said the backup competition is open, so I’d imagine we’ll see Bagent tomorrow with the 2s.”
Should Bears Followers Freak Out Yet?
On Williams’ rough start, Anthony Miller of Bear Goggles On notes in a piece published on Wednesday, July 23, that the signal-caller “is going through the growing pains as much as anyone else is. It shouldn’t be reflected too badly on him, but it sounds like there was a few negatives aspects of the practice.”
He adds that the Bears still have “plenty of talent to work with on offense, with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze returning as Williams’ favorite targets and Cole Kmet back as well at tight end.”
So, is it time to start questioning that Caleb Williams jersey purchase from last season? Not quite yet. Let’s put this into perspective. It’s the first day of training camp with a totally new coaching staff and some new players. It’s going to be awkward and even difficult. Even some people who have terrible first dates end up going on to being in a relationship with that person. So, don’t freak out. Yet. Give your thoughts.
