Ben Johnson calls Bears roster 'sleeping giants'

New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has had an up-close look at the team's roster over the last few seasons thanks to his time with the Detroit Lions. Johnson, who was hired as the Bears' newest head coach this week, spent six seasons with the Lions, including the last three as their offensive coordinator.

Seeing as Detroit plays Chicago twice a year, Johnson has spent a lot of time preparing to face them, and he believed they were going to be a problem during the 2024 season. "Going into this season, I felt like this place was a sleeping giant," Johnson said during his introductory press conference on Wednesday. "To be honest with you, I personally was more concerned about the Chicago Bears than I was anybody else in this division."

The Bears had plenty of hype heading into the 2024 season, and it seemed that a trip to the postseason was within reach. Of course, that didn't happen as they finished with a 5-12 record and last place in the division, and it's a big reason why Johnson is now in the building. He knows that, too. "There are a number of reasons why that didn't unfold, which is why I'm here," he said. "I'll get to the bottom of that, and we'll see if we can't get that corrected and cleaned up. But I was very encouraged with what was already on the roster right here, and, like I said before, this division, as hard as it is, I'm very excited about competing here."

Many of the pieces that Johnson was worried about as an opponent are still in place, including quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore, offensive tackle Darnell Wright, cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, and many more. The new head coach clearly feels he can get the most out of this roster, and perhaps that sleeping giant finally wakes up.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson calls Bears roster 'sleeping giants'