Bears' Ben Johnson Fires Back at Liam Coen, Labeling Chicago the "No. 1 Regression Candidate"
The opening week of 2026 NFL training camps has delivered its first major coaching feud. On Friday, July 31, 2026, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson fired back at Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, who had taken a subtle dig at the massive amount of media attention surrounding Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
The friction began when Coen, speaking on radio station 1010XL, complained about the lack of national attention the Jaguars were receiving after a strong 13-4 campaign last year compared to the media hype surrounding the Bears. In response, Johnson didn't shy away from the spotlight, instead using the opportunity to self-deprecatingly label his own team as the "No. 1 regression candidate" to motivate his squad.
As reported by the New York Post:
“We’re the No. 1 regression candidate, so I think we’ve got plenty of motivation ourselves,” Johnson told reporters in response to Coen’s comment. “We’ve talked about Caleb in the past. He’s used to handling a lot of attention, so I’m not worried about that.”
The Bears are entering their second season under Johnson following a successful but highly volatile 11-6 campaign in 2025. While Chicago captured the NFC North title and won a thrilling Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers, they won seven of their games by a single possession and frequently relied on late-game magic from Williams.
To combat any sophomore slump or complacency, Johnson is holding Williams to a strict standard in training camp, demanding a 70% completion percentage after Williams finished last in the league with a 58.1% mark in 2025. By embracing the "regression candidate" tag, Johnson is leaning into the skepticism to fuel the Bears' drive for a deeper postseason run in 2026.