Ben Johnson has held himself accountable when things don't go well. That stood out from the moment the season began for the Chicago Bears. Surprisingly, he's been careful when it comes to his coaching staff. Outside of praising Dennis Allen for his wizardry on defense, there haven't been any comments about other coaches. However, that doesn't necessarily mean he has certain thoughts about them. Such might be the case with the team's trainer and strength staff.
It popped up following the Bears' loss in Baltimore to the Ravens. Johnson was asked about the status of cornerback Kyler Gordon, who just went on Injured Reserve with groin and calf injuries. His response offered a hint at his frustration with the team's seeming epidemic of soft tissue injuries.
"We're hoping it's going to be of the short-term variety, so we should be able to get him back," Johnson said. "It's another soft tissue injury that we're dealing with."
Now it's the NFL. Injuries happen. However, soft tissue problems should be avoidable with the right training regimen. As of writing this, eight different Bears players have missed at least one game this season with these types of injuries: hamstring, quad, calf, and groin. D'Andre Swift has also battled various ailments, despite not missing any time. It is a serious problem.
Ben Johnson may need to shake up his training staff after the season.
Keep in mind, he didn't make any significant changes when he took over this year. Andre Tucker retained his job as team trainer, a position he has held since 2018. Pierre Ngo had been the assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2023 and 2024. Ben Johnson promoted him after Jim Arthur was fired. It is hard to argue that this pairing hasn't done the best job preparing Bears players for the rigors of the season. Serious injuries like knees, backs, concussions, and so on can be excused. There is no controlling that. Soft tissue problems should be avoidable.
Now these constant setbacks are contributing to some of these losses. A similar situation occurred when Lovie Smith took over in 2004. Soft tissue injuries plagued the Bears. Smith replaced the training staff the following offseason, and noticeable differences were immediately apparent. Don't be surprised if Johnson does the same.
