Bears coach Ben Johnson addresses huge decision before new NFL season

Ben Johnson and his staff have huge decisions to make at the end of the Chicago Bears’ training camp and preseason. They have seen players working hard and competing for roles and roster spots. However, they will cut some of them to finalize the lineups for the regular season. The second-year head coach addressed the situation on Saturday.

Chicago is 1-1 this preseason, winning 34-10 over the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 22 before losing 27-9 to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. Most starters were either rested or given limited playing time, allowing backups to take center stage. The team has one more preseason game to be played. It will face the Tennessee Titans next Saturday at Nissan Stadium.

Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears — Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson walks the field during rookie minicamp at Halas Hall.

Chicago Bears: Ben Johnson opens up on upcoming roster cuts

Johnson acknowledged that roster cuts won’t be easy to make. However, he stressed that the team is fortunate to have good competition at different positions.

“That’s where this discussion, player day off on Monday, with the personnel staff, that’ll be big for us,” Johnson said. “Make sure that we’re all aligned, we see it all the same way. And then anybody that could go either way, I mean, it would be a big week for them as well. I said it a week ago, I don’t think that there was as much clarity. It’s actually a good thing. It means we have a really good competition across the roster at a number of spots.

“Between the game tonight, being able to watch that tape in depth and get a good evaluation of these guys. And then next week, I’m certain that we’re going to be able to pick our 53. And I keep telling about the practice squad as well. It’s how do we get the best 69 guys because the practice squad in a 17 game season, they’re going to come up and help us at times too. It’s big for us.”

Ben Johnson on the upcoming Roster Cuts:

“Monday’s discussions with personnel will be big for alignment. For guys on the bubble, it’s a huge week. There isn’t complete clarity yet, which is a good thing, it means we have great competition across the roster. Between watching… pic.twitter.com/g5adisrEdZ

— BearsMuse (@ChiBearsMuse) August 23, 2026

The Bears will open their regular season on Sept. 13 versus the Carolina Panthers. They have their sights set on surpassing last year’s success and hopes to build on the momentum. Chicago won the NFC North with an 11-6 record and reached the Divisional Round but are hungry for more.