Volatile Bears mixtures include Ben Johnson with Caleb Williams

Here are the most volatile mixtures the Bears must negotiate when practices begin in 10 day.

5. Bears secondary and Dennis Allen scheme

Every DB plays mixes of man-to-man coverage and zone. The heavy man-to-man schemes won't stick in that approach when they're leading because of the danger involved with one player's mistake. It's all just a matter of how much is zone and how much is man.

The Bears are going to more man-to-man coverage and less zone and they have a secondary groomed to heavy zone coverage and little man. It's a matter of adjusting the scale.

They say they enjoy this style of play better because if makes it clear who's at fault immediately if a play breaks down.

"I like it, you know, it gives me room to improve on myself because if I get beat, that means I did something in my technique that created a flaw to allow you to win," cornerback Tyrique Stevenson said. "So I like that."

It's a case of be careful what you wish for because it also makes it more apparent faster to coaches who is at fault.

4. Ben Johnson and DJ Moore

Johnson's Detroit offense often seemed to wind up with the ball going to the slot, either the slot receiver or the move tight end.

Moore is not a slot receiver like Amon-Ra St. Brown was. The reason they drafted Colston Loveland was to have the move tight end who can help make this work.

Moore can and has worked out of the slot in the past. He's even lined up in the backfield. He is an X-receiver by trade, though. They signed Olamide Zaccheaus and have Luther Burden III as potential slot receivers.

Combine all of this and it's Moore's role that becomes unclear. Even more unclear is how he'll adjust to not being the focus for most pass plays if he remains mainly an X-receiver on the outside while others handle slot catches.

Moore, himself, doesn't even have a clue how it will all work out.

"I don't even know if I'm going to touch the ball as much as I did some years or if I'm going to be used the same way. So I mean, I just go from there,” he said during minicamp.

The one thing that can't happen is pouting, walking off the field during a play or poor body language.

3. Attacking defensive linemen and altered style

The Bears defensive front no longer attacks the gap on every down across the front. They haven't become a two-gap front where defensive linemen occupy blockers so linebackers can knife in for the tackle. Rather, they're doing something in between the styles.

GM Ryan Poles and defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett explained it in the offseason. Defensive linemen attack the man across from them. The ultimate goal is to drive them back and disrupt the run or get into the passer's face. They can destroy the run blocking scheme or make tackles in the backfield this way.

The volatile mix here is these were defensive linemen acquired by Poles for their gap-attacking ability and Matt Eberflus' scheme.

Quickness was bigger than strength in that approach.

This rates a more important unknown than anything involving pass coverage because it affects both the run and pass defense, and the line's success is going to be a major determiner in the secondary's success against the pass or the linebackers' ability to play the run.

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said he has played in a similar style scheme in the past, which helps explain why the Bears wanted a 32-year-old 3-technique at a high cost. He'll need to be instrumental in getting everyone else on board in this approach.

2. Ben Johnson and inexperienced QB

There is absolutely no way to tell what happens with Caleb Williams working in Johnson's offense.

No model exists to refer back to because Johnson's time in Detroit came with veteran Jared Goff. His work as a position coach wasn't at quarterback. The QB earlier was Matthew Stafford, another veteran.

Never mind, the player himself, there is the factor of a head coach demanding precision from the offense and passer. His offense has only been run by pocket passers who had extensive experience facing NFL defenses in game conditions.

Now, add in the mix of Williams' raw state. He is the opposite of Johnson's past QBs. He makes plays on the move, quicky abandoned the pocket and too often put pressure on his offensive line by holding the ball. He frustrated receivers, at times, when the ball didn't come out at the right point in the route. He hasn't even had much experience going under center for snaps and Johnson's offense did this more than any other team in the last three years.

Talk about oil and water. But it doesn't have to be this way once they get used to working together.

However, until Williams better anticipates routes coming free against coverage and Johnson better understands what makes Williams tick, there will be a daily struggle at practice and also on Sundays.

The real pressure is on Williams to learn and adapt. Ultimately, Johnson can only alter the way game plans and plays are devised.

Then again, perhaps the mix is so volatile it ends up never working out. It wouldn't be the first time a coach and QB can't mix.

1. Ben Johnson and flawed team

It's not just Williams. It's the full team. Johnson knew only success from the midpoint of the 2022 season, his first as an offensive coordinator, to the time he left. Sure, he didn't win the ultimate prize, but they succeeded and even carried a crippled defense.

Now he's with a group largely left over from a defeated, underachieving roster. None of the players on the roster have experienced a winning season in Chicago.

We've already seen the volatility here with Johnson's strict attention to detail and players who haven't been detailed enough. There has been yelling.

Can Johnson dial it back to his days when success was less guaranteed, to become the teacher and builder he was earlier in Detroit instead of just the offensive genius?

This mixture with a group seeking success together for the first time under a detailed coach will ultimately determine success in 2025 more than any others.