Like new head coach Ben Johnson had said a few times in press conferences, the Chicago Bears are ripping the culture down to the studs and rebuilding from there. The only people allowed to have poor posture at OTAs are the coaching staff.
Johnson and his coaches have been vocal at practice, yelling at times when players make mistakes. Not necessarily at the player, but to ensure accountability on the field when, say, tight end Cole Kmet lines up wrong or quarterback Caleb Williams screws up the cadence.
Johnson had a conversation with Williams about cleaning up his body language in the offseason. He was seen bent over in frustration multiple times while taking a league-high 68 sacks in 2024. Williams’ No. 1 target, DJ Moore, had viral moments last season when he showed agitation on missed throws from the rookie gun slinger.
During his media availability on Tuesday at Halas Hall after the first practice of mandatory minicamp, Moore said Johnson called him out for showing negative emotion during a practice. It’s something he’s working to clean up this offseason.
“Just to be honest and then we ain’t gonna talk about it,” Moore said. “I did it once, and we nipped it in the bud, and it never happened again. I just said, ‘I ain’t never gonna do it again.’”
Moore was the subject of headlines following his expressions during the Bears’ 19-13 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 2. Johnson doesn’t want a repeat of those negative newsmakers in the upcoming season.
“Just don’t do it,” Moore said about not showing frustration after a bad play. ”Just keep it inside. Talk about it later. Just don’t put it on film. Don’t put it on TV. So you guys (the media) can’t run with it.”
Moore had reasons for frustration in 2024 amid a 5-12 campaign. He recorded 966 receiving yards and six touchdowns, a significant drop-off from his career-high 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023.
If the Bears start winning, Moore should have no reason to keep the hard feelings inside during games.
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