Bears coach Ben Johnson shielded his mouth with a laminated play sheet but pulled it away just in time so lip-readers could catch his words.
About 25 minutes into the game, which ended in a 24-24 tie Sunday at Soldier Field, the Bears faced a fourth-and-goal from the Dolphins’ 4-yard line. Johnson relayed the play to quarterback Tyson Bagent via headset, but through clenched teeth, he communicated more than just the formation, route, and blocking details.
“Probably something like, ‘We’re going for it,’” Bagent said. “With some filler words thrown in.”
Johnson, the Bears’ new head coach, doesn’t hide his passion.
“I was told it was Family Day with lots of kids here,” he said. “Probably a good thing they couldn’t hear me on the sidelines.”
When asked what he said exactly, he just smiled knowingly.
“I don’t even know,” he admitted. “Yeah, we’re looking to score.”
Although Johnson didn’t play quarterback Caleb Williams or most starters, don’t mistake the game for unimportant. His pregame locker room message summed it up perfectly.
“The game doesn’t count,” Bagent recalled Johnson saying, “but it matters.”
Johnson referenced John Elway, the former Broncos quarterback and executive, who was so unhappy with a 40-10 preseason loss in 2013 that he stormed into the locker room demanding better effort. The Broncos later reached the Super Bowl.
Johnson is right in one respect — preseason scores don’t matter. His predecessor Matt Eberflus went 8-2 over three seasons, including undefeated preseasons twice. He even won several games convincingly against playoff teams, but was still the first Bears coach fired mid-season.
For most of their history, the Bears have hired assistant coaches taking the reins for the first time and hoped they’d succeed. Johnson is no different — and a tie with the Dolphins won’t change much.
Still, there were signs Sunday that some persistent Bears issues might improve. Bagent called Johnson’s method of calling plays into his helmet “very efficient,” a welcome change from coaches like Matt Nagy or Eberflus who sometimes had players entering the field late.
“He didn’t hesitate,” Bagent said. “He called his game.”
Johnson showed composure in critical moments too. With 6 seconds left in the first half and the ball on their own 48, he called a short pass to Luther Burden, who sprinted out of bounds with 1 second remaining. Then kicker Cairo Santos nailed a 57-yard field goal.
For now, these small signs will have to suffice since Johnson didn’t play most starters.
The Dolphins started quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who completed 5-of-6 passes for 27 yards on the opening drive.
“I don’t undervalue the preparation process,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “Our team can benefit from it.”
Johnson chose not to play Williams. Instead, he had him run nearly 70 practice plays a few hours before kickoff. Johnson called in plays, putting Williams in realistic scenarios on different downs. Williams threw to receivers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Olamide Zaccheaus, tight end Cole Kmet, and running back D’Andre Swift — all run as air plays.
“There’s no substitute for live game action — I get that,” Johnson said. “But getting over 70 reps in a day is valuable. It builds chemistry with the receivers. I wish I could do that daily or every other day.”
Johnson said Williams will likely see action in a preseason game this month. Some light work — around 10 plays — is expected against the Bills next week, since the third preseason game usually features backups.
“We’ll see what next week brings,” Johnson said.
Bagent led the Bears to 10 points in the second quarter — the touchdown to Alexander and Santos’s field goal — before veteran Case Keenum, just a year younger than Johnson, took over. Keenum completed 8 of 10 passes with two touchdowns.
The Bears framed the Keenum-Bagent competition as a battle for the backup quarterback spot. Bagent, who was 13-for-19 with a touchdown and interception, is likely the primary backup if anything happens to Williams. The team will keep three quarterbacks and value Keenum’s veteran presence for their second-year starter. Austin Reed, who played most of the fourth quarter, is a practice squad candidate.
Johnson was pleased with the team’s effort Sunday, despite the frustrating 24-24 finish.
“You don’t know how to feel when it ends tied,” he said. “Preseason or not, they’re keeping score and you play to win.”
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