Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears are looking ahead to the 2026 NFL draft, which is set for April 23 to 25, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park. Johnson is a smart guy, and he may already be plotting a sneaky and genius move to get a draft pick that he wants.
The Bears had a stellar season for their 2025-26 run and finished at first place in the NFC North. But, they fell short of getting to the big game, and Johnson is hungry to take quarterback Caleb Williams and the franchise all the way.
Now, with the draft on the way, they have to be careful about their draft selections. Their first pick comes at No. 25, and they also have six other picks in the draft. Now, Johnson may be making a strategic move to “trick” other teams in the NFL into thinking he’s not interested in a certain player.
Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson May Be Planning a Draft Coup
In a Friday, March 27 feature for Bear Googles On, Anthony Miller makes the case that Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles may be trying to pull off a fast one in the draft. It’s obvious that the Chicago Bears need a center, and they’ll look for one in the draft.
“Iowa center Logan Jones has been a name attached to late Day 2 or early Day 3 as a pick for the Bears,” Miller states in the feature. He adds that according to a report from Bears insider Erik Lambert, the team signaled that they might not have as much interest as they once did because they didn’t go to Iowa’s Pro Day.
But, there’s no way the Bears aren’t interested in Jones. The player wowed NFL teams this year when he ran the fastest 40-yard dash of the offensive linemen, according to his NFL draft profile, with a 4.9-second sprint.
“He’s about as good as they come with centers in the draft, as last season with the Hawkeyes,” Miller states in the feature, “he won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center, won the Joe Moore Award for the nation’s best offensive line, was selected as a unanimous All-American, and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten selection.” He also notes that the player “was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2024 and the third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023.”
Chicago Bears Could Fill a Need With Second-Round Pick
So, the Bears could get their dream center without having to give up a first-round pick. That’s golden. So, other teams may not expect the Bears to go for him, but there’s a good chance they will. But, are they really fooling anyone?
“The Bears can’t miss out on a center in this year’s draft with how good the class is, so if Poles is trying to trick the NFL into thinking he’s not going after Jones, that might not work,” Miller adds. “Everyone knows Chicago is interested in finding a center in this year’s draft.”
The Chicago Bears could do worse than picking up Poles, especially later in the draft.