Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who announced the team's Hallmark Christmas movie.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images.
The Chicago Bears took part in joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals during the week, as both teams looked to sharpen their iron against one another. For the Bears, they had goals set coming into the practice, and head coach Ben Johnson believes they were able to accomplish some of them. At the same time, there are some areas that Johnson wasn't satisfied with.
“I thought our Defense competed really hard against a top-five NFL quarterback and outstanding pass catchers,” Johnson said. “Offensively, I think we left a little bit out there. Wasn't very pleased. First seven snaps, we had three procedure issues with quarterback-center exchanges or not getting off the ball at the same time. We talk all week about starting fast, and that didn't translate. The beautiful thing is it's a rinse-and-repeat with a different opponent, going on the road again for a good joint practice with a talented, well-coached team to make sure we're ready for Week 1.”
Ben Johnson on Thursday’s Joint Practice against the Bengals:
"I thought our Defense competed really hard against a top-five NFL quarterback and outstanding pass catchers. Offensively, I think we left a little bit out there. Wasn't very pleased. First seven snaps, we had three… pic.twitter.com/rHvtzatyO8
— BearsMuse (@ChiBearsMuse) August 23, 2026
Johnson showed last season that he was a no-nonsense type of coach, and he expects the best out of his group, especially the offense.
The Bears' offense was the unit that led them to most of their success last season, and they'll be looking to do the same thing this time around. Caleb Williams is the leader of the group, and they'll go as far as he takes them. This is the perfect time for them to clean up the things they need to before the start of the season gets here.
The good news is that the Bears will be taking part in another joint practice this upcoming week against the Tennessee Titans. As Johnson said, it's an opportunity for them to iron out some of the things they felt they weren't able to accomplish over the past few weeks.