Bears coach Ben Johnson now has 3 premium talents at tight end, and his offense is about to get wild
<p>The <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears" target="_blank" >Bears</a> used to pick up tight ends in bulk, at one point stockpiling 10 of them in the 2020 offseason, and it became yet another punchline about Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy not knowing what they were doing.</p><p>But no one makes jokes about coach <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2025/09/01/the-bears-and-their-fans-needed-a-truth-teller-they-got-one-in-new-coach-ben-johnson" >Ben Johnson</a> and his collection.</p><p>It helps Johnson doesn’t have 10. Even in an offense intent on using three tight ends at once, the Bears have just seven on their 90-man roster.
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<p>The <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears" target="_blank" >Bears</a> used to pick up tight ends in bulk, at one point stockpiling 10 of them in the 2020 offseason, and it became yet another punchline about Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy not knowing what they were doing.</p><p>But no one makes jokes about coach <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2025/09/01/the-bears-and-their-fans-needed-a-truth-teller-they-got-one-in-new-coach-ben-johnson" >Ben Johnson</a> and his collection.</p><p>It helps Johnson doesn’t have 10. Even in an offense intent on using three tight ends at once, the Bears have just seven on their 90-man roster. But he and general manager Ryan Poles have diverted substantial resources to the position to gather the multidimensional pieces Johnson needs to make his offense a nightmare for opponents.</p><p>When veteran Cole Kmet was fairly fresh off signing a $50 million contract extension, the Bears surprised everyone by drafting Colston Loveland 10th overall last year.</p><p>Johnson said he’d play them together.</p><p>Then the Bears picked Stanford’s Sam Roush with the 69th overall pick — just outside the second round — this year, but not to replace Kmet.</p><p>Johnson said he’d play all three together.</p><p>It’s very likely he’ll do a lot of that this season, and it’s at the essence of his motto to, “Make the same things look different and different things look the same,” in his play designs. Tight ends can be effective as receivers or run blockers, and using three of them — known as “13 personnel” with one wide receiver and a running back on the field — expands Johnson’s ability to be unpredictable.</p><p>It also keeps him at the forefront of what has been an emerging trend led by Rams virtuoso play caller Sean McVay.
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- <p>The <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears" target="_blank" >Bears</a> used to pick up tight ends in bulk, at one point stockpiling 10 of them in the 2020 offseason, and it became yet another punchline about Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy not knowing what they were doing.</p><p>But no one makes jokes about coach <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2025/09/01/the-bears-and-their-fans-needed-a-truth-teller-they-got-one-in-new-coach-ben-johnson" >Ben Johnson</a> and his collection.</p><p>It helps Johnson doesn’t have 10. Even in an offense intent on using three tight ends at once, the Bears have just seven on their 90-man roster.
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- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
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- 13m ago.
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Bears coach Ben Johnson now has 3 premium talents at tight end, and his offense is about to get wild
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times