Bears OTA takeaways: A fiery Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams’ footwork and more

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Ben Johnson didn’t like where tight end Cole Kmet lined up during a drill inside the Walter Payton Center on Wednesday. So the Chicago Bears head coach let his veteran hear it during practice.

“It’s the way we’re coaching every position right now,” Johnson said when asked about the play from organized team activities. “I think particularly on offense from me, and then on defense with (coordinator Dennis Allen), every position’s heard it the same way.

“And we’re just communicating. It’s loud in there. You know that. So sometimes your voice gets a little bit elevated at times, and we’re just communicating that it’s not good enough and we need a little bit better.”

Johnson, though, joined the Bears with a fiery reputation for practice. This was just an early glimpse in the middle of May for those who haven’t seen him at work. Quarterback Caleb Williams was also seemingly a target.

During his introductory remarks, Johnson said there were mental mistakes and pre-snap penalties in practice. So he’s allowed to feel a bit agitated.

“Yeah, I thought that was normal,” Johnson said, smiling. “I’ll work to get my body language under control. I’m talking about that with the players, so I need to do a better job myself. I’m on it.”

That fire and passion have helped Johnson throughout his career. It’s partly why he’s the Bears’ new coach. It’s May, but his players say they aren’t bothered by it. They appreciate it.

“Being in meetings with him you can just tell the intent, the intention, the attention to detail, very high standard, which is awesome,” guard Joe Thuney said. “He’s very good at communicating. You know exactly what he wants from each play, from each player, very specific. I think he’s a great coach, teaches very well and it’s very cool to learn from.”

Thuney’s endorsement of Johnson carries weight. He has played for Andy Reid and Bill Belichick.

“I’m learning a lot,” Thuney said. “He communicates things very clearly on what he wants and what he expects, which makes it easy for us players because we know exactly what to do and just have to go execute. He’s just his own, and it’s been awesome.”

Entering his 10th NFL season with his fifth head coach, safety Kevin Byard said he didn’t want to make comparisons to last year, but Johnson’s demeanor has caught his attention.

“The intensity level of Ben Johnson … is very evident,” he said. “I think you guys can see that, a couple times where he’s stopping practice. You can definitely hear him out there. It’s been fun.”

The elephant in the room

We didn’t hear from Williams on Wednesday, less than a week after comments from the Bears’ quarterback and his father, Carl, took over the NFL conversation thanks to an excerpt from Seth Wickersham’s upcoming book.

Johnson addressed it off the bat, with a wink and a nod to the coverage it garnered.

“It’s come to my attention that the quarterback has been out in the media over the last week, and just to get out in front of that a little bit, I just wanted to say I wasn’t here last year and so I can’t speak too much in terms of what it was like before he got here and when he got here last year,” he said. “But from my four months on the job, he’s been outstanding to work with and we just are focusing on getting a little better every day.”

Johnson and Williams talked about it last week when the story came out.

“He’s his own man. He’s gonna be treated as such,” Johnson said. “I think we’re both really looking forward to turning the page on years prior and focusing on the here and now.”

One of the standout quotes from the passage came from Carl Williams, saying that Chicago is “where quarterbacks go to die.” There’s evidence to back up that contention. But Johnson isn’t fazed.

“I love it. I love it,” he said. “I love the opportunity to come on in and change that narrative. That’s where great stories are written. So we’re looking to write a new chapter here — 2025 Chicago Bears — and looking forward to the future.”

That reaction is certain to earn Johnson even more adoration from Bears fans.

Ben Johnson and the Bears have quarterback Caleb Williams working on his foot placement before the snap. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

Putting your left foot forward

One noticeable switch for Williams under Johnson is the placement of his feet. Williams’ left foot is now forward.

“I’ve done it a number of ways in my time in the league, and really over the last few years, I’ve kind of gravitated towards that. It’s something that I feel pretty strongly about,” Johnson said. “He and I talked about it, the reasons why we want to do it. I think it helps out certainly with the quick game from the gun, and then helps us being a little bit better at a throwing posture for a lot of the other things that we’re asking him to do.”

Johnson said when he initially discussed the footwork with Williams that the quarterback was already exploring the change himself.

“So it wasn’t so much us telling him to do it,” Johnson said. “It was more a mutual, ‘Yeah, let’s see what this looks like.’ And I think he’s taken to it.”

Locking in the left guard

The more time Thuney spent at Halas Hall, the more it felt like the right place to be beyond this season. Those feelings soon turned into a two-year, $35 million extension that the veteran guard with Hall of Fame credentials signed on Tuesday.

“As the days rolled into weeks, you realize this is a special place, special building, special history here, and the people in the building just make it even more special,” Thuney said. “I don’t know if there was an exact moment or anything, but pretty early on I could just tell this is something I want to be a part of, something that I think would be really cool going forward.”

Thuney, center Drew Dalman and right guard Jonah Jackson are all signed through the 2027 season.

“Drew and Jonah are great guys,” Thuney said. “They work relentlessly, weight room, film room. Every part of the game, you can tell how passionate they are for the game. It’s cool that guys will be here for a couple years and you know that, so it’s been great working with them.”

Williams’ place on the team also factored into Thuney’s decision.

“You can tell how much he cares about this sport,” he said. “And he’s always in here. Whenever I come in, I see him. He’s been doing great, and so far so good.”

D-line camaraderie

Earlier this offseason, Gervon Dexter organized defensive line workouts in Miami, and he invited his newest teammate, Pro Bowler Grady Jarrett.

“I thought that was a big gesture for him to invite me … to hang out with them, spend some time working on some craft, and I was able to meet him and (Montez Sweat) before I came in the building,” Jarrett said. “I think that’s been good for our relationship, even before we got in the building. That just shows his willingness to try to take that next step.”

Dexter is one of a few younger defensive tackles who could gain a lot from working with Jarrett. Rookie Shemar Turner was enthusiastic about getting to learn from the veteran.

“He’s quick, strong and comes from a really good program that plays some really good football in the SEC,” Jarrett said. “He’ll be ready to go when it’s time to go. Me just being able to be in the position, whether it’s leadership or to inspire somebody else … to be in the same room with him after speaking with him and him telling me he watched me in college trying to study the NFL, to me, that means a lot. I don’t take it lightly.”

Turner, Dexter, Zacch Pickens and Chris Williams figure to be competing for playing time next to Jarrett, a spot that will also be held at times by veteran Andrew Billings, and we could see Dayo Odeyingbo slide inside on passing downs.

Jarrett isn’t afraid to use his voice but also wants to be a lead-by-example player. He said he is living two minutes from Halas Hall and is keeping things simple — “I go to work. … Go chill. Come back and come to work” — as the former Falcon dons a new uniform for the first time in his career.

Attendance report

Rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III was absent. Johnson said the second-rounder is dealing with a soft-tissue situation.

The following vets were not spotted during practice inside the Walter Payton Center )a reminder that these practices are voluntary and anyone coming off a season-ending injury is unlikely to participate): cornerback Kyler Gordon, defensive tackle Andrew Billings, defensive tackle Zacch Pickens, safety Elijah Hicks, cornerback Terell Smith, left tackle Braxton Jones and interior lineman Ryan Bates.

Rookie tight end Colston Loveland was present but not participating as he recovers from a shoulder injury.

Tush push reaction

The Packers’ bid to get the tush push banned failed as the play will remain and continue being part of the game.

At the league meetings in April, chairman George McCaskey said the Bears supported the rival Packers’ proposal, citing health and safety reasons. According to league sources, the Bears were one of 22 teams that voted for the ban. It needed 24 teams to pass.

Jarrett, tasked with having to stop the sneak, said it’s incumbent on defenses to stop it.

“I mean, shoot, you got to stop it,” he said. “It’s been stopped before. Not at a high rate. But don’t let them get third-and-1, fourth-and-1, you know what’s coming.

“I’ve played Philly a lot of times, they are a tough group. They have a combination of players and the quarterback that makes it successful. At the end of the day, the rules are the rules. You have to find a way to stop it.”

The tush push is not something we saw from the Bears last season — Williams didn’t sneak it. In the previous two seasons, Kmet would sometimes move under center for a fourth-and-short situation. And it doesn’t seem like we’ll see it with Johnson.

“Man, I tell you what, does it become an explosive play ever?” Johnson said. “Have you ever seen it become an explosive play? I like explosive plays. I like big plays. I’m not a big tush push guy myself.”

(Top photo: Kamil Krzaczynski / Imagn Images)

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