Inside: What’s different about Ben Johnson, plus Caleb Williams, Cam Ward and Dillon Gabriel lead our players to watch this weekend.
This article is from Scoop City, The Athletic’s NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox.
What separates Ben Johnson?
Late January brought news that foreshadowed another exciting offseason in Chicago: Ben Johnson was to become the 19th head coach of the Bears.
The priority of Johnson, who revived Jared Goff’s career during a stellar run as offensive coordinator in Detroit, was making life easier for his second-year quarterback, Caleb Williams. He and GM Ryan Poles revamped the interior of the offensive line, spent two early picks on receiving weapons and acquired 11-year veteran Case Keenum to help tutor Williams.
But the most important change Johnson brought to Chicago is his attention to detail, which The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain explored in this ace story on what makes the Bears’ coach unique. For Johnson, results are irrelevant. He’s focused on perfecting the process. “No detail goes unnoticed,” said tight end Cole Kmet.
But isn’t every coach a ‘details guy’? Kmet explained what he sees as the difference:
“Some people say (the details matter) and they’ll tell you it does, then (a mistake will) happen once and you move on from it and don’t really talk about it much because maybe the result of the play was good. (Johnson) has no problem pulling up a good result, a great play that was a 15-yard gain and saying, ‘This is not what we’re looking for.’”
The 2024 Bears stand in stark contrast. After former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired, Keenan Allen blasted Waldron’s lack of accountability.
“I would say just probably he was too nice of a guy. I think during OTAs, training camp, he kind of fell into a trap of letting things go, not holding people accountable. Obviously those things lead to a slippery slope.”
Something had to change in Chicago, where Johnson’s emphasis on details and accountability feels more important than any play he’ll call this season.
Watch Guide: Preseason Week 3
Can the Bears build on an electric first drive, which came against Buffalo’s backups? We’ll get a better look at the results of Johnson’s approach tonight, as Williams and other Chicago starters are expected to play against the starting Chiefs defense (8:20 p.m. ET).
Other players to watch for this weekend:
- No. 1 pick Cam Ward should start for the Titans (8 p.m. tonight on CBS) against Vikings’ backups. Brutal drops render Ward’s preseason stats (7 of 15 for 122 yards) misleading; he’s impressed.
- Seahawks rookie Jalen Milroe will start at quarterback and play the entire finale against the Packers (4 p.m. Saturday on NFL Network). He’s shown promise, but also whiffed on two touchdown passes. Milroe is third on that QB depth chart.
- Dolphins’ starters will play against the Jaguars, who are resting Travis Hunter and other starters (7 p.m. Saturday on NFL Network). It’s a similar situation in Arizona, where the Raiders are expected to briefly play their starters as the Cardinals sit theirs.
- Saints’ quarterbacks Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler get their final preseason audition this Saturday against the Broncos (1 p.m). As I explained yesterday, expect whoever impresses this weekend to start Week 1. Yesterday, I predicted Rattler. We’ll see!
Most other teams — including the Bengals — will rest their starters. I don’t blame them, as the most impactful moment from last night’s preseason action was Steelers’ first-round Derrick Harmon carted off with a knee injury, though it appears only a sprain.
Cleveland’s first-team offense, however, debuts Joe Flacco this weekend and he should play a few series. His backup, rookie Dillon Gabriel, was more impressive in Week 2 than you might think. I’ll let Ted explain.
What Ted’s Seeing: Dillon Gabriel impressed
After Shedeur Sanders’ strong performance in the first preseason game and subsequent oblique injury, Dillon Gabriel got his turn at a preseason start.
Gabriel, drafted two rounds earlier, naturally had the leg up in the competition for the second-string spot. It would have taken a monumental meltdown for him to lose his spot in the pecking order, and Gabriel played a really good game against the Eagles.
Other than the pick-six that he threw, which wasn’t fully his fault, Gabriel was decisive while completing several downfield passes within the structure of the Browns’ offense. He converted 5 of 7 third downs through the air, throwing his passes with excellent velocity and pinpoint accuracy.
Here’s an example from his preseason debut. On third-and-10, the Browns ran a sail concept with a backside dig, and Gabriel had to read the sail route (1) to the shallow (2) to the dig (3).
With Eagles defenders getting leverage on Gabriel’s first two reads (both the sail and the dig rout), he had to step up in a muddy pocket while getting through his progressions. He got to his third read and threw a well-placed ball that didn’t lead his tight end into a big hit.
Gabriel will join Sanders and Joe Flacco in Saturday’s preseason finale, when the first-team offense is expected to play a few series. The Athletic’s Zac Jackson reported that the quarterback order will be Flacco, Gabriel, then Sanders, while Kenny Pickett sits.
For more: I shared four other questions answered after the second set of preseason games, including whether Jaxson Dart is ready.
Back to you, Jacob.
Welcome James Palmer
The “Scoop City” podcast recently welcomed longtime NFL reporter James Palmer as a co-host. Let’s get to know him.
1. What’s one training camp storyline that isn’t getting enough attention from the national media?
💬 James: “The Texans. No mention of them anywhere nationally. They have a great young coach and GM. They have one of the best defenses in football. They’re great up front and the secondary is outstanding. C.J. Stroud has a few new weapons after, despite a long list of injuries, putting Houston in a position to take down the Chiefs in the Divisional Round last year. If their O-line comes together, and that’s a big if, this is a legit contender in the AFC.”
2. What’s your favorite scoop of your career?
“Drew Brees’ last NFL game. The Saints lost to the Bucs in the playoffs. I knew the opposing team had to always walk across the field to get to their bus. I knew Brees was on the field playing catch with his kids. I guessed that Brady would walk by. I sprinted in my suit from the press box to the field level.
“I ended up shooting a video of Brady throwing touchdowns to Brees’ kids that would end up going mega viral. What an incredible moment. One of the game’s greatest players knew his career was over and didn’t want to leave the field. The other was off to win another Super Bowl. I always hang around stadiums. Anything can happen.”
3. Every reporter has a ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment. What was yours?
“I started as a beat reporter covering the Texans when Andre Johnson was the face of the franchise. Postgame he would take forever to get showered and dressed before he would do his postgame interview at his locker.
“I decided to skip it and get working on all of my postgame live shots. That was the day Johnson said he was tired of losing, and it exploded. We didn’t have our camera there. I got chewed out by our news director. I quickly learned you have to wait as long as you have to wait, because anything can happen.”
4. Bold prediction for the NFL season. Go: “The Falcons win the South led by Michael Penix Jr.”
I’ll take the Buccaneers by a landslide, sorry James. For more from the “Scoop City” podcast, James joined Dianna and Chase this week to discuss the Trey Hendrickson standoff. You can watch that episode on YouTube, here.
Extra Points
📃 Do holdouts matter? The Athletic examines the mixed on-field results of contract disputes.
📺 Watch this. Netflix’s docuseries on Jerry Jones’ Cowboys, “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.” “I seriously thought about passing on watching this series. I’m glad I didn’t,” wrote The Athletic’s Jason Jones in the linked article.
🎙 Can the Eagles repeat? “The Athletic Football Show” kicked off their team previews by examining Philly’s chances of going back-to-back.
👈 Blameless? Hardly. Anthony Richardson deserves criticism, writes James Boyd, but the Colts never gave him a shot.
⭐ Rising coach. Chris Banjo is one of the NFL’s top young coaches. Zack Rosenblatt shares the story of Banjo’s rise, which, like most of his mornings, began with his 4:15 a.m. alarm.
▶️ Yesterday’s most-clicked: Dane Brugler’s 2026 NFL Draft rankings, with just one player ahead of Arch Manning.
📫 Enjoyed this read? Sign up here to receive The Athletic’s free NFL newsletter in your inbox.
Also, check out our other newsletters.
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)