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The Chicago Bears are trying to move up the standings in the NFC North division this season. While the Bears struggled to win games during the 2024 season, it certainly seems like there is a lot of passion on the team. Chicago players got involved in some tense moments at training camp on Tuesday, including at least two fights.
“This has been an intense practice so far for the Bears. They went live in 11 on 11 including goal line work. Two scuffles already in camp. One including Rome Odunze having his helmet taken off,” reporter Zack Pearson posted to X, formerly Twitter.
It appears one of the tense moments occurred after a play went dead.
“Roschon Johnson wasn’t happy with a few guys tackling him after the play. He throws the football right at Jonathan Owens then picked him up and took him to the ground,” Pearson said in another post.
Bears fans have to love the intensity they are seeing so far. Chicago finished the 2024 season with a 5-12 record.
Bears are under new leadership in 2025
The Bears have a new coach this season in Ben Johnson. Johnson is tasked with trying to get Chicago back to the NFL playoffs, for the first time since 2020.
Johnson has spoken at length this offseason about his philosophy. It appears that philosophy may include some physical play, since some scuffles are breaking out at camp. Several reporters have made note of the change that seems to be happening in Chicago right now.
“Bears wrapped up a 2 hour, 2-minute practice that was the most physical in terms of live hitting that I've seen since early in the Lovie Smith era. They got after it today,” The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs said in an X post.
Some Bears players are speaking out about the demands they receive from their coach.
“He's very demanding,” Bears defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo said about Johnson, per NFL.com. “You could tell he's a perfectionist. He wants it done a certain way and if it's not that way, he's going to call you out about it. That's something you definitely want from someone leading your team that's not afraid to call people out and see how they respond.”
Odeyingbo says the team's defense embraces this identity of toughness.
“Just the aggressiveness of it, being able to affect the run and pass in different ways with different looks. It definitely makes it tougher on the offense. I think that's shown,” Odeyingbo added.
Time will tell if the tempers flaring at Bears training camp are part of a larger problem. Chicago plays its first NFL preseason game on August 10, against the Miami Dolphins.
