Why Ben Johnson’s No‑Nonsense Reset Is Igniting the Bears for 2026

When you walk into Ryan Poles’ office at Halas Hall, you can almost hear the hum of a machine that never quite shuts off. The general manager, fresh off a two‑year stretch of rebuilding, asked a simple question about his new head coach: “Do you ever worry Ben might get complacent after that playoff win?” Poles’ answer was a quick, confident no.

“It’s always about a bigger, more ambitious goal,” he said, eyes fixed on the future. “Ben gets it. He knows each season is its own chapter, not a sequel to the one before.” That attitude, Poles explains, is exactly why the Bears feel they can finally start stacking successes year after year instead of living off a one‑off flash.

Ben Johnson arrived in Chicago in 2025 with a résumé that reads like a résumé of NFL apprenticeships – a son of a long‑time assistant, a former offensive mind, but no mentor who showed him how to handle a season‑ending loss. Still, he walked into his first year with a crystal‑clear mantra: 2026 will be different, and the glow of a division title must not turn into a safety blanket.

“Last year was a cool season, okay? It was a gift to the players, the staff, the city. I’m not going to downplay that,” Johnson told The Athletic. “But Chicago’s history is full of flash‑in‑the‑pan years that evaporate. We don’t want that. Nobody wants that.”

That same message rippled through the locker room almost instantly. Poles watched a noticeable uptick in extra workouts at Halas Hall, and players began posting on social media videos of quarterback Caleb Williams staying late for extra throws, often with teammates tagging along. The mood was unmistakable: no one was settling for “we made the playoffs”.

“There was no space for satisfaction after a playoff win or a near‑miss at the division title,” Poles recalled. “My biggest fear was that after 20‑plus years of disappointment, people would finally breathe a sigh of relief and think, ‘Okay, we’re good.’ Ben shut that down the minute he walked in.”

The opening game of 2026 comes on a road trip to Carolina, a stark reminder that the new season isn’t a sequel – it’s a brand‑new story. Johnson, who rarely revisits the painful overtime loss to the Rams, says the team’s focus is already on the first snap against the Panthers.

That resolve was forged in the crucible of January’s loss. After Williams’ final pass was intercepted, leading to the Rams’ game‑winning field goal, tight end Cole Kmet was already looking ahead. “It starts all over,” he said. “It’s 0‑0, and it’s going to be twice as hard to get back here. Thinking it’ll just happen again is wishful thinking.”

Seven months later, Kmet reflected on how quickly the narrative can shift. He watched the Bengals overhaul their defense in a single offseason and realized that the NFL is built for turnover. “You’ve got to understand the league wants seven to nine new playoff teams every year,” he noted. “When Ben says we have to reset, it rings true.”

That reset isn’t about erasing the memories of two home playoff games – the energy in those crowds still lingers in the building. It’s about preventing those moments from becoming the only thing the franchise remembers. Johnson isn’t rewatching the interception on a loop; instead, he’s using the offseason to develop a deeper playbook, improve chemistry, and bring in fresh talent – 20 newcomers are already on the Week 1 roster.

Williams, for his part, admits the interception still “burns,” but he’s taken the coach’s advice to heart and moved forward. “It bothers me,” he told a small press group, “but I’m with Ben. We keep our eyes on the next drive.”

In a league that rewards complacency one season and punishes it the next, Ben Johnson’s insistence on starting at square one may be the most daring gamble the Bears have made in years. If the locker room stays as aligned as it was after that first meeting, Chicago could finally break the cycle of one‑hit wonders and build something that lasts.