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Ryan Poles has been around for five news conferences to open training camp, always with an eye toward trying to take something, like the NFC North.
Now the question for the Chicago Bears general manager is this: How does the team keep it?
Once the hunter, the Bears are now being hunted as the defending division champs. Maybe a surprise team at the midpoint of last season, their first under coach Ben Johnson, they looked like a team that had arrived by season’s end with the franchise’s first playoff victory in 15 years.
Whether the Bears arrived early or dramatically with a season full of last-minute heroics, now they’re in everyone’s sights as football gets going Wednesday morning at Halas Hall with the first practice of summer.
It’s a fresh position for the Bears after three consecutive last-place finishes in the division, but Johnson made believers of the players shortly after being hired. And after an 0-2 start last September, they proved the team finally got a coaching hire right as they ripped off nine wins in their next 10 games.
That served as evidence the Bears could handle prosperity during the season. Now the test is showing they can roll it from one season to the next. From his perch, nothing changes for Poles.
“It’s important to have that mindset that you’re always hunting,” he said. “And that’s what we’re going to do. I’m sure Coach will talk about our mentality as we move forward. But we’re going to be hunting at all times.”
Don’t take that to mean he’ll be adding a household name on the defensive line via a trade in the days to come.
“We’re going to investigate any opportunities to get better,” Poles said. “But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make sure we know our team.”
Getting to know the new roster is a process that will play out across camp, three preseason games and a pair of joint practices in Cincinnati and Nashville, Tenn. The Bears have a blend of veterans and young, developing players that makes it unlikely there will be a lot of surprises over the next six weeks. But they’re called surprises for a reason.
There are fair questions about the defensive line in terms of both rushing the quarterback and stopping the run. We’ll see how defensive coordinator Dennis Allen reacts Day 1 without nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon, a situation he’s not unfamiliar with. There figures to be competition for the starting job opposite outside corner Jaylon Johnson, and those are just a few areas to watch outside of the left tackle competition.
As soon as a season that reinvigorated a hungry fan base ended with a divisional-round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Johnson made it clear he didn’t believe in a natural carryover from 2025 to 2026. That is to say there was nothing in place that would allow the Bears to pick up where they left off, two wins shy of a Super Bowl appearance.
“We go back to square one,” he said back in January. “We’re back at the bottom again. If you feel otherwise, you’re probably missing the big picture.”
Piggybacking off of that and keeping the big picture in focus, Johnson talked Tuesday about having a new group that needs to come together.
“We are in a race right now to develop the same chemistry that we had a year ago,” he said. “That was one of the things that was our secret sauce — guys playing for each other. We had a really close-knit group.”
Johnson said the connection the team can develop in the weeks ahead, and particularly on the journeys for joint practices, will help carry it through the season. A ton of logistics is required to pull off joint practices in consecutive weeks away from Halas Hall, but the Bears view all of the behind-the-scenes labor involved as worth it.
“When you go on the road, there’s really not family. It’s you, it’s your buddies, it’s the hotel and it’s a great opportunity for us to bond together,” Johnson said. “So that will be different, but the pillars all stay the same. It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be a demanding ordeal. Anything worth doing is going to be challenging. These guys all know that and I think they embrace it as well.
“We have to come together as a group. There will be some trials and tribulations. Coaching staff, we will apply pressure and stress on these guys. That’s where the best version of yourself comes forward. You talk about sustaining success, well, shoot, we are starting all over again. That’s been the consistent message.”
It remains to be seen how deep the belief is outside of the region in the Bears’ ability to repeat. Remember, Poles’ goal was to “take the North” and never give it back. Fanatics Sportsbook on Tuesday had the Detroit Lions as the +170 favorite to win the division, followed by the Green Bay Packers at +210, the Bears at +310 and the Minnesota Vikings at +575.
That’s probably due in part to the volume of late-game heroics that propelled the Bears in 2025. Internally, they know there are areas that need improvement and more consistency. They have an emerging quarterback in Caleb Williams whose penchant for the dramatic and big plays helped overcome deficits elsewhere on the depth chart. That can’t be overlooked, and the relationship between Johnson and Williams will be a top story again throughout camp and the season.
Surely, Johnson can inform the players of how the team is perceived on the outside despite coming off a division crown. If you’re looking for a chip to put on some shoulders, that’s a good one right there: You’re third in odds to win a division you won last year.
How does Johnson make sure his players know they’re still on the prowl, still hunting?
“That’s for team meetings,” he said. “We keep that there.”
Continue reading...
Now the question for the Chicago Bears general manager is this: How does the team keep it?
Once the hunter, the Bears are now being hunted as the defending division champs. Maybe a surprise team at the midpoint of last season, their first under coach Ben Johnson, they looked like a team that had arrived by season’s end with the franchise’s first playoff victory in 15 years.
Whether the Bears arrived early or dramatically with a season full of last-minute heroics, now they’re in everyone’s sights as football gets going Wednesday morning at Halas Hall with the first practice of summer.
It’s a fresh position for the Bears after three consecutive last-place finishes in the division, but Johnson made believers of the players shortly after being hired. And after an 0-2 start last September, they proved the team finally got a coaching hire right as they ripped off nine wins in their next 10 games.
That served as evidence the Bears could handle prosperity during the season. Now the test is showing they can roll it from one season to the next. From his perch, nothing changes for Poles.
“It’s important to have that mindset that you’re always hunting,” he said. “And that’s what we’re going to do. I’m sure Coach will talk about our mentality as we move forward. But we’re going to be hunting at all times.”
Don’t take that to mean he’ll be adding a household name on the defensive line via a trade in the days to come.
“We’re going to investigate any opportunities to get better,” Poles said. “But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make sure we know our team.”
Getting to know the new roster is a process that will play out across camp, three preseason games and a pair of joint practices in Cincinnati and Nashville, Tenn. The Bears have a blend of veterans and young, developing players that makes it unlikely there will be a lot of surprises over the next six weeks. But they’re called surprises for a reason.
There are fair questions about the defensive line in terms of both rushing the quarterback and stopping the run. We’ll see how defensive coordinator Dennis Allen reacts Day 1 without nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon, a situation he’s not unfamiliar with. There figures to be competition for the starting job opposite outside corner Jaylon Johnson, and those are just a few areas to watch outside of the left tackle competition.
As soon as a season that reinvigorated a hungry fan base ended with a divisional-round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Johnson made it clear he didn’t believe in a natural carryover from 2025 to 2026. That is to say there was nothing in place that would allow the Bears to pick up where they left off, two wins shy of a Super Bowl appearance.
“We go back to square one,” he said back in January. “We’re back at the bottom again. If you feel otherwise, you’re probably missing the big picture.”
Piggybacking off of that and keeping the big picture in focus, Johnson talked Tuesday about having a new group that needs to come together.
“We are in a race right now to develop the same chemistry that we had a year ago,” he said. “That was one of the things that was our secret sauce — guys playing for each other. We had a really close-knit group.”
Johnson said the connection the team can develop in the weeks ahead, and particularly on the journeys for joint practices, will help carry it through the season. A ton of logistics is required to pull off joint practices in consecutive weeks away from Halas Hall, but the Bears view all of the behind-the-scenes labor involved as worth it.
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“When you go on the road, there’s really not family. It’s you, it’s your buddies, it’s the hotel and it’s a great opportunity for us to bond together,” Johnson said. “So that will be different, but the pillars all stay the same. It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be a demanding ordeal. Anything worth doing is going to be challenging. These guys all know that and I think they embrace it as well.
“We have to come together as a group. There will be some trials and tribulations. Coaching staff, we will apply pressure and stress on these guys. That’s where the best version of yourself comes forward. You talk about sustaining success, well, shoot, we are starting all over again. That’s been the consistent message.”
It remains to be seen how deep the belief is outside of the region in the Bears’ ability to repeat. Remember, Poles’ goal was to “take the North” and never give it back. Fanatics Sportsbook on Tuesday had the Detroit Lions as the +170 favorite to win the division, followed by the Green Bay Packers at +210, the Bears at +310 and the Minnesota Vikings at +575.
That’s probably due in part to the volume of late-game heroics that propelled the Bears in 2025. Internally, they know there are areas that need improvement and more consistency. They have an emerging quarterback in Caleb Williams whose penchant for the dramatic and big plays helped overcome deficits elsewhere on the depth chart. That can’t be overlooked, and the relationship between Johnson and Williams will be a top story again throughout camp and the season.
Surely, Johnson can inform the players of how the team is perceived on the outside despite coming off a division crown. If you’re looking for a chip to put on some shoulders, that’s a good one right there: You’re third in odds to win a division you won last year.
How does Johnson make sure his players know they’re still on the prowl, still hunting?
“That’s for team meetings,” he said. “We keep that there.”
Continue reading...
