Why the Chicago Bears get an additional voluntary minicamp this offseason

Lou catches up with Bears head coach Ben Johnson at the NFL Owner's Meetings

For the first time, Ben Johnson is attending the NFL Owner's Meetings as a head coach. FOX 32's Lou Canellis caught up with Johnson in Florida on Monday about the Bears' recent moves and more.

First-year Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is being realistic about his first year with the team.

It won't all come together fast. There will be trials and tribulations. There will be struggles to clear and successes that come from it all.

"It's not going to be linear growth," Johnson told FOX 32's Lou Canellis this week at the NFL Owner's Meetings. "It's not going to be a straight line to get there."

Luckily for Johnson, the Bears will get extra time to put it all together.

The NFL announced the dates for its offseason workout program Thursday, which is intended to provide training, teaching and physical conditioning for players. The Bears get to conduct their voluntary camp from April 21 to 23.

Why the Chicago Bears get an additional voluntary minicamp

The Bears get some extra time, thanks to Johnson specifically.

The NFL entitles teams with new head coaches to conduct an additional voluntary minicamp for veterans. Because Johnson is in his first year, the Bears will get that extra time. According to the NFL, any voluntary minicamp for veteran players has to be conducted prior to the NFL Draft. This year, the 2025 NFL Draft takes place from April 24 to 26.

The Bears aren't alone in this, either. This year, five teams will hold voluntary veteran minicamps: Bears, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders and the New England Patriots.

What will the Chicago Bears' voluntary minicamp look like?

The Bears' voluntary minicamp will consist of "meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation only" according to the NFL as part of the Phase One of the offseason workout programs.

That means no contact and no pads.

"We're going to be very smart with how we approach that minicamp," Johnson told FOX 32. "The rules would allow us to have OTA-like activities on the field."

To Johnson, being smart means being conscientious of what's on the players' plates. He doesn't want to go straight from time in the weight room to going having an intense session of walk-throughs that could lead to injury.

This is important because the Bears have a brand-new coaching staff that needs to connect with the players while also easing into a new offensive playbook with second-year quarterback Caleb Williams and getting defensive players familiar with how defensive coordinator Dennis Allen operates.

"We're going to have a nice balance there to transition us from Phase One into the voluntary minicamp, into Phase Two, where we are able to go on the field and have more meeting time with the players," Johnson said. "Finally, we'll hit our OTAs and our mandatory minicamp there, end of May going into June."