General manager Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson spoke to the media Tuesday at Halas Hall as the Bears kicked off training camp. Here are eight things we learned from the duo:

(1) Johnson is excited to begin training camp in part because it presents the opportunity for the Bears to establish who they are as a team.

"This is our chance to forge our identity," he said. "This is where it all happens. We've got a whole different group of guys than we did a year ago, and this is where it gets fun."

The Bears' training camp roster consists of 54 returnees and 37 newcomers.

"There's a lot of getting to know each other, and yet it's a chance for us to create a new chapter of Chicago Bears football, the 2026 version," Johnson said. "So, [I'm] excited about that."

(2) One of the Bears' objectives in camp will be to build the cohesiveness that helped fuel their success last season, when they won the NFC North title and beat the Packers in a wild card showdown.

"It starts all over again," Johnson said. "We talked about this when last year ended. It's a brand-new group of guys. We are in a race right now to develop the same chemistry that we had a year ago. I think that was one of the things that was our secret sauce: guys playing for each other. We had a really close-knit group."

Spending back-to-back weeks on the road in late August for joint practices and preseason games in Cincinnati and Tennessee should help create camaraderie.

"It's a great chance for our team to come together," Johnson said. "When you go on the road, there's really not family. It's you, it's your buddies, it's the hotel, and I think it's a great opportunity for us to bond together."

While the Bears will visit other NFL teams for joint practices for the first time since they traveled to Indianapolis in 2023, the rest of training camp will be similar to last year.

"That will be different, but the pillars all stay the same," Johnson said. "It's going to be physical. It's going to be tough. It's going to be a demanding ordeal. Anything worth doing is going to be challenging. These guys all know that and I think they embrace it as well.

"There will be some trials and tribulations. Coaching staff, we will apply pressure and stress on these guys. I think that's where the best version of yourself comes forward. You talk about sustaining success. Well, shoot, we are starting all over again. That's been the consistent message."

(3) Poles believes that Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams work so well together because "they both want to be great and win Super Bowls, and that's all that matters."

In his first year being tutored by Johnson in 2025, Williams set a franchise single-season passing record with 3,942 yards and helped the Bears rally to win seven games they trailed in the final 2:00, the most by an NFL team since at least 1970.

"What we saw down the stretch is the desire to win," Poles said. "And I think we'll see development in all those other areas, the technical areas, understanding the offense, defense. Ben has done a great job with him, and I expect him to continue to develop. But I think at the end of the day, we want our guys to have a strong desire to find a way to win football games, and that was clear."

(4) Poles is eager to watch the battle for the starting left tackle position.

Braxton Jones, a 2022 fifth-round pick who re-signed with the Bears in the offseason, will attempt to regain his starting job. He opened all 17 games as a rookie and remained the No. 1 left tackle the next two seasons, though injuries limited him to 11 contests in 2023 and 12 in 2024.

Despite still rebounding from a broken fibula that ended his 2024 campaign, Jones won a competition last summer with Ozzy Trapilo, Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie for the starting position. Jones opened the first four games before being replaced by Trapilo in a road win over the Raiders. A few weeks later, Jones sustained a knee injury in practice that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Jones will be challenged for the job by Benedet, Amegadjie and veteran free-agent signee Jedrick Wills, who started 57 of 58 games played over five years with the Browns from 2020-24. Trapilo is expected to miss most if not all of the season with a knee injury he sustained in January's playoff win over the Packers.

"It's going to be a great competition," Poles said. "We've got Braxton at a really good spot, probably the healthiest he's been since his first year. He's going to compete. He's got a lot of snaps under his belt. Theo's done a great job. We see what he's done with his body this offseason and he just continues to get bigger, stronger, faster …

"I was really encouraged by Jedrick Wills and his progress that he's made. He's put over double-digit lean mass on his body, which is something we were looking forward to as he gets to getting back to what he was. So that whole group and then Ozzy's working his tail off. So, we've got a couple of layers to that, and we'll see how it all plays out, and Kiran as well."

(5) Like many others, Poles feels that second-year receiver Luther Burden III could have a breakout season.

The 2025 second-round pick blossomed into a key contributor over the second half of his rookie season, regularly displaying big-play ability and excellent run-after-catch skills. After averaging 1.9 receptions for 24.4 yards in his first seven games, he averaged 4.3 catches for 60.1 yards in his final eight regular-season contests.

"If there's a guy that I'm really excited about, it's Luther Burden just because of how much he's grown from the day he walked in this building," Poles said.

"I heard he was just texting and calling these quarterbacks just looking for an arm to throw to him every day of the week. The guy loves football, he's passionate about it. He wants to help this team win, and he wants to be the absolute best receiver he can possibly be. You can feel the fire inside of him, and I'm excited to see that show up."

(6) Poles didn't hesitate when asked how right tackle Darnell Wright can reach the next level after earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2025.

"I think it's just consistency," said the Bears GM. "We all see the flashes and the stacks of plays that he puts together, and it's really impressive. Can he be consistent day-in and day-out? That's the key part for Darnell."

Poles discussed the possibility of signing Wright to a long-term extension.

"I think there's a window to get a deal done, and then at some point we've got to go play football," Poles said. "We'll figure that part out. But I think I've said it before: Darnell's a guy we want here long term. It takes two sides to get things done. But at the end of the day, I don't want any distractions or anything like that. So, when it's time to go play football, we'll go play football and keep it moving. But, yeah, he's a guy we would like here for a while."

(7) Poles feels that the Bears boast outstanding depth at center with veteran Garrett Bradbury and rookie second-round pick Logan Jones.

When Drew Dalman retired in February at the age of 27, the Bears acted swiftly to replace him, acquiring Bradbury in a trade with the Patriots.

"You have a guy with a ton of NFL experience that just played in the Super Bowl," Poles said. "I think he's one of those glue guys for the offensive line that brings everyone together. He has a ton of knowledge and wisdom on how to play the position, especially with a young quarterback behind him."

Jones was a unanimous All-American selection and two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree while starting 51 of 52 games played for the Hawkeyes. Last year he won the Rimington Trophy as the best center in college football.

"Logan's hungry," Poles said. "He's got great football character, strong. From a physical standpoint, he's in a really good place. But obviously as a young center, this game's a lot different at this level. But we expect to get competition there as we go. Really happy with how Bradbury's been."

(8) Poles revealed that the injuries that will sideline linebacker T.J. Edwards and safety Elijah Hicks at the outset of camp are not believed to be serious.

Edwards is on the non-football injury list with a calf issue he sustained while training away from Halas Hall.

"We don't see that as anything major," Poles said. "Shouldn't be too long with that."

The Bears GM added that Hicks, who opens camp on the physically unable to perform list, "had some discomfort in his shin," adding: "We got that taken care of. That's going to take a little bit of time, but he's on the mend. He's walking around. We don't see that as anything major."