Chicago Bears just gave Ben Johnson an offensive lineman

New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has been fairly candid about what he thought were issues with the team in 2024. Johnson pointed out that the team struggled in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

During his introductory press conference on Wednesday, Johnson said that he planned to work with general manager Ryan Poles in the offseason to elevate the offensive line, something that his offense benefited from in Detroit.

“I think offensive line is certainly an area that we need to get better play from going forward, something that Ryan and I have already talked about,” Johnson said. “We will develop a plan of attack for how to get that done.

“I’m looking forward to getting an excellent offensive line coach in the building to help develop the young talent that we already have on the roster, and we will certainly talk about acquiring talent to bolster that unit as well. But I was certainly blessed the last few years with the men that I worked with. And that was something I would love to replicate here as well.”

The Chicago Bears signed Joshua Miles

On Wednesday, the Bears signed two players in free agency to a reserve/future contract, including offensive tackle Joshua Miles, per the league’s transaction wire.

The Arizona Cardinals selected Miles in the seventh round of the 2019 draft. He spent time on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad in 2023 before joining the New York Giants in 2023 and 2024. At 29, he’s appeared in 18 games but has made no starts.

Miles earned a 61.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his 21 snaps of offense in the 2021 season. The former Morgan State standout has had no grades from PFF since. The native of Baltimore has a six-foot-five, 325-pound frame.

Alex Cook signed with the Bears

On Wednesday, the Bears also added safety Alex Cook. The New York Giants signed Cook as an undrafted free agent out of Washington in 2023. He spent time with the Carolina Panthers in 2023-2024.

At 25, the Sacramento native has appeared in 10 games and started two. Cook has recorded 11 tackles and one tackle for loss in his two seasons in the league. All of his stats came from the 2023 campaign.

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