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Chicago Bears HC Ben Johnson and the rest of the new coaching staff are already setting the early tone at rookie minicamp

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kole Noble | Last updated May 10, 2025 3:38 PM ET

When the Chicago Bears hired head coach Ben Johnson, everyone knew a new level of energy was going to enter the building immediately.

After hiring a loaded coaching staff of coordinators and assistants below him, those feelings were expedited.

One of the biggest downfalls of the previous regime in Chicago was the lack of accountability and level of demand they expected from the players. Those kind of issues won't be around again in 2025 under this new staff.

After the first day of rookie minicamp on Friday, you can tell the tone was different in the way the coaches interacted with the players and carried themselves on the field.

"We call it rookie orientation. It’s a coach orientation for us this year, too," Johnson explained to reporters on Friday. "It’s our first time as a coaching staff to really have a practice format like that. It was fun to see them get after it and get to work a little bit. We’ve got a long ways to go, but [I’m] really happy with how the guys went out there and competed and learned… and look forward to seeing the progression there over the course of the weekend."

As a first-time head coach, Johnson has a lot of learning curves to experience as well this weekend, along with the new players actually training on the field. Even with his inexperience in the role, the players are learning to respect his coaching style.

"I love his spirit, his energy. He's super determined, he's ready to go, he's ready to take this thing to the top," first-round pick Colston Loveland said about Johnson. "He's no nice guy, I've seen him getting on people's butts. I'm loving how he coaches. I'm excited to play for him."

Johnson wasn't the only coach already getting onto the new players during the first day of minicamp. Nicholas Moreano shared that running backs coach Eric Bieniemy was also getting after some of the players in his position group as well.

"One of the takeaways from today's practice was Bears RBs coach Eric Bieniemy," Nicholas Moreano wrote on X. "He has an edge to him when he coaches and demands the details are exact. Saw him get after RB Christian Grubb for walking after a drill. I wouldn't be surprised if we see an uptick from the entire RB group just because of Bieniemy."

Fun to hear the coaches already gettin' after it! pic.twitter.com/ZrpzEXpCL2
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) May 9, 2025

On the offensive side of the ball, wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle-El received the most praise after hearing from second-round pick Luther Burden III.

"I feel like he's going to bring the best out of me," Burden explained. "I've seen his past history, he's a guy who's been in my shoes so he knows what to expect. I'm grateful to have a great coach like him."

This staff knew coming in that they needed to make an early impact and set the right tone for these younger guys before moving into organized team activities with the rest of the roster. They certainly did that after the first day of minicamp.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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