Coach Ben Johnson's primary goal during this week's rookie minicamp is to teach the players participating about the Bears' culture, expectations and standards.
"I know we'll hit the grass and we'll have walk-throughs and all that, but it's more about just introducing them to our way of life," Johnson said Friday, shortly before the first of two practices. "That's really the objective here over the next two days."
Rookie minicamp began Thursday, with 54 NFL prospects reporting to Halas Hall. It will conclude Saturday, with a second non-contact practice. The group consists of seven draft picks, 13 undrafted free agents, 24 rookies participating on a tryout basis, five veteran tryout players and five first-year pros.
The assimilation process is typically easier for prospects who were part of college programs that operate like NFL organizations.
"Each college program is a little bit different," Johnson said. "Some are run these days a little bit like a professional program, so the transition I would imagine will be a lot cleaner. But that's not everybody.
"We're looking to establish what that looks like on a daily basis; what our expectations are, getting to know the people not only in the locker room that they're interacting with every day, but just around the building that are here to provide resources to them to be the best players they can possibly be."
Nose for the football
First-round pick Dillon Thieneman—a safety from Oregon—brings speed, position flexibility and ball skills to the Bears secondary.
"He's very versatile," Johnson said. "He can play down, he can play the post. Oregon played him as more of the Tampa middle read player quite a bit, which showcased his playmaking ability. He has a nose for the football. The thing you see is that when the ball is in the air, he's got fantastic acceleration to get to that catch point. When he gets there, he arrives with some violent intentions. That, to me, is what stands out the most about him."
Intriguing veteran
One of the veteran tryout players, receiver Scotty Miller, made a dazzling diving catch deep down the right sideline on the final play of Friday's practice. The Barrington native has played seven NFL seasons with the Buccaneers (2019-22), Falcons (2023) and Steelers (2024-25), catching 99 passes for 1,216 yards and six touchdowns.
Miller won the Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2020, catching a 39-yard TD pass from Tom Brady in a 31-26 win over the Packers in the NFC Championship Game. Miller played on the same youth football team in Barrington as Bears tight end Cole Kmet.
"He's got a history with coach [Antwaan] Randle El," Johnson said. "Randle El was with him when he was a young buck there in Tampa, so there are some shared experiences. Looking forward to seeing him run around and compete a little bit. From afar, I've been able to see the speed, quickness. [He's] certainly very intriguing."
Shared experience
Johnson and third-round rookie tight end Sam Roush both studied computer science in college, but they have yet to discuss their mutual interest.
"We haven't gone down that road," Johnson said. "He is a very impressive young man. Obviously, you go to a school like [Stanford] and take education seriously like he has, he's very bright. I don't think he'll have any problem picking up the details with which we like to play with. And then a guy like [position coach] Jimmy Dray, who went to Stanford as well, that could be a fun combination in that tight end room. Looking forward to his future."
Rookie seems like a vet
Johnson reiterated Friday what he had said after the draft about the Bears becoming smitten with Iowa center Logan Jones during his pre-draft visit to Halas Hall.
"Coach [Dan] Roushar and coach [Kyle] DeVan, they made some rounds this offseason just making sure we did due diligence on a number of players, and Logan was one that stood out," Johnson said. "My visit with him when he was here, [I] was extremely impressed by football knowledge, makeup; very mature and, to me, it's not, 'We're getting a rookie,' we're getting a guy that's a little bit more of a seasoned player, which really is not uncommon for those Iowa linemen."
Living Large
Jones is participating in rookie minicamp alongside close friend and former Iowa teammate Hayden Large, an undrafted free agent tight end.
"He was one of the guys we identified well before the draft, that he's a player that we really liked," Johnson said. "I actually called him before the draft to let him know we had a vision for him."
The Bears coach was impressed that Large signed with the Bears even after they drafted Roush.
"When you take a tight end in the third round, you're kind of like 'oh shoot, that might take us away from Hayden coming here,'" Johnson said. "Yet, he didn't bat an eye. This is where he wanted to be. To me, that speaks volumes about how he's wired. That has something to do with how he came, walk-on at Iowa, earning playing time and going through the long hard road. I really appreciate that. I think we got a good one there."
Showcasing versatility
One undrafted free agent to watch is offensive lineman Caden Barnett, a throwback who is nicknamed the "Vanilla Gorilla." A three-year starter at Wyoming, Barnett opened 22 games at right tackle in 2023-24 before starting 12 contests at right guard in 2025, when he was named second-team All-Mountain West.
"He plays the way we want to play it," Johnson said. "So there's a physical demeanor about him. That's what stands out, first and foremost. I think we got a couple really good offensive line coaches. When you have a guy that has traits like that that are harder to coach, that you can help clean up the technique and things of that nature. When the mind's right, I have a lot of confidence in our coaching staff to get the rest of it."
Barnett can play any position on the line.
"We'll probably line him up inside initially," Johnson said. "But with all these guys, the best way to make the roster, if you're not going to be a starter, is to showcase versatility. Whether that's showing that he can snap the ball or can bounce outside, the more versatility that we have in our backup offensive linemen, the better off we are."
