When the Chicago Bears start training camp, one might expect the biggest topic, even more so than how the defense is going to stop anyone, to be this:
Is third-year quarterback Caleb Williams primed for the MVP-style breakout other quarterbacks like Josh Allen have enjoyed?
The answer to that question lies, as a recent Good Morning Football segment highlighted, in the trenches.
During a discussion of the most pressing issues the Bears must address when training camp kicks off later this month, former
NFL offensive lineman Willie Colon and NFL Media insider Stacey Dales hit heavily on the big men up front on offense as the key to driving Williams and the Bears offense forward in 2026.
“When you talk about the Bears offensive line and what they did last year, their ability to run the ball down people’s throats and keep the Iceman himself, Caleb Williams, upright, they were spectacular,” Colon, a 10-year NFL vet and Super Bowl champion, said. “Now you go into this season, and you don’t have your captain in the middle of the line in Drew Dalman. … They also have another issue at the left tackle position. Who’s going to be the guy to step up?
“When you go into Year 3—and I’m talking about Caleb Williams now—he has to make the leap. And he can only do it with an elite offensive line. We know what Year 3 looked like for Josh Allen and how he rose. It’s going to be an issue if this offensive line can’t step up along with Caleb Williams.”
Fellow insider Stacey Dales shared Colon’s focus on the offensive line, including dropping some nuggets Bears’ fans should pay attention to.
“They’re probably going to go ahead and start Braxton Jones. He’s been getting the lion’s share of first-team reps throughout the course of minicamp. He was healthy going into this year’s offseason program. He was not healthy last year, which caused a lot of ripple effect. … He should lock that position down.
“What’s really unique though, you guys, I’ll tell you this—[tight end] Cole Kmet told me—the head coach Ben Johnson is actually the one who installs the run game. How unique is it to have your head coach and playcaller install the run game? That’s what Ben Johnson does. That’s the pulse he has and the need and will he has to run the football. You gotta love it. If you play in the NFC North, if you’re an NFL North fan, you know you have to run the ball. Certainly, the Chicago Bears will vow to do so, but they’ve got to get that offensive line up to snuff in training camp.”
In case you needed any further evidence of what the Chicago Bears’ offense under Ben Johnson is all about. As much as people want to focus on Williams’ passing numbers and airing it out to Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze, and Luther Burden this coming season, pounding teams to death on the ground is Johnson’s bread and butter. That approach got the Bears to the cusp of an NFC Championship appearance last season after winning the division, and they need it to work again in 2026.
Additionally, the bit about Jones, while not particularly surprising at this point, gives an insight into what the Bears are hoping for this season, after opting to bring him back on an incentive-laden deal rather than draft a replacement. When healthy, Jones is a perfectly serviceable player at left tackle, and you can do a lot worse than that. With no guarantee Ozzy Trapilo will return to form after tearing his patellar tendon, Chicago went with stability over the unknown with Williams and the offense heading into a crucial season. Jones knows the offense, and they seem confident he can execute if health permits.
Hopefully, they’re right. Because the only way Williams will reach the heights he needs to is if this offensive line can do its job controlling the line of scrimmage both in the run and pass game. And getting Williams to stardom is the key to the Bears becoming perennial powers rather than one-hit wonders—and overcoming a potentially porous defense.
