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Why Ben Johnson is ahead of the curve with offensive personnel | Chicago Sports Tonight
FS1's Danny Parkins joined Cassie Carlson on a Monday edition of CST. What does Danny think of the Bears draft class? Was Danny surprised that Ryan Poles wasn't more aggressive on Day 2 in a trade up scenario? Also, Danny explains why draft big boards aren't always the end-all, be-all to draft evaluation and why Ben Johnson is ahead of the curve with how he's assembling offensive personnel.
We’re moving on to the next phase of the Chicago Bears’ offseason. Welcome to Bears’ rookie minicamp.
Obviously, all eyes will be on players like first-round selection Dillon Thieneman and second-round pick Logan Jones. Those two have a chance to earn starting jobs before the regular season begins.
Here are three players who we’re keeping an eye on during the Chicago Bears’ rookie minicamp this weekend.
Malik Muhammad, CB – No. 124 overall pick
One of the players who caught the attention of Bears’ fans was Muhammad when he dropped an all-time quote about playing in high-profile games.
"When it's time to put your nuts on the floor, you got to go dominate," Muhammad said after he got drafted by the Bears in the fourth round.
But, it goes deeper than that.
The Bears really like what Muhammad has shown on tape. He has plenty of potential as a press cornerback, but that potential stems from the versatility he has with a vast skill set.
"From a coverage standpoint, obviously that translates to athleticism," Bears national scout John Syty said. "For him, the ability to play man, and stick at top of routes is one of his strengths. And then continuing with instincts and zone coverage too is also a strength of his player. He’s definitely a combo guy that can do a couple different things for us on defense."
This will be the Bears’ first chance to get Muhammad in the same room as defensive backs coach Al Harris. Muhammad has plenty of upside as a 21-year-old cornerback who possesses good instincts in coverage.
With Nahshon Wright in New York, there’s a chance Muhammad can take one of the two No. 2 cornerback roles behind Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson. Or, he could vie for a starting role sooner rather than later.
It all depends on the first impression he makes in rookie camp.
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Miller Moss, QB – Undrafted Free Agent
One of the most notable undrafted free agent signings was Moss.
The Louisville quarterback is reminiscent of Austin Reed, who knew Caleb Williams before he joined the Bears for two training camps. Moss knows Williams, too. The two were teammates at USC and Moss backed up Williams for two years before Moss took over as USC’s starting quarterback in 2024.
Now, Moss will have a chance to throw at the NFL level. When asked about it after the NFL Draft ended, Bears general manager Ryan Poles confirmed the Bears were bringing in Moss and lauded quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett for getting a list of quarterbacks together to target.
"J.T. and some of our scouts got together and watched a large stack of quarterbacks and tried to identify ones that could come here and compete and perform," Poles said on April 25.
Moss obviously isn’t going to overtake Williams as the starting quarterback. But, Moss could be on the Bears’ radar if the quarterback room undergoes any transformation.
Case Keenum is a significant mentor for Williams and the rest of the Bears’ quarterback room. He still contemplated retirement before signing with the Bears. Tyson Bagent signed a contract extension with the Bears. If he wants a shot at being a starter, there could be an opportunity next year to start for a team as the quarterback carousel moves with one of the biggest classes of rookie quarterbacks in recent memory featured in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Moss might be a practice squad player in 2026, but investing in the quarterback room is never a bad decision.
"It's important to keep working that quarterback room and making sure that we get guys that can come here and, again, add to the competition," Poles said on April 25. "Guys that we want to pour into so that they can develop. Then, we'll see where it goes."
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Caden Barnett, OL – Undrafted Free Agent
You can’t ignore Barnett. For one, he’s 6-foot-3 and 316 pounds. Beyond that, his nickname "vanilla gorilla" is fantastic.
But, Barnett is everyone’s pick for an undrafted player to sneak onto the Bears’ roster. He started 35 games in his Wyoming career. He started two years at right tackle for the Cowboys before switching to guard for the 2025 season. Barnett earned Second-Team All-Mountain West honors at guard.
He was rated as a fifth-round pick by some NFL Draft analysts, but went undrafted. Now, he’ll have a chance to earn a spot on the Bears’ roster, as ESPN and others reported he signed a hefty guaranteed contract with the Bears.
The starting guards are set in Chicago. Barnett isn’t overtaking Joe Thuney or Jonah Jackson. The depth behind them is up for grabs.
Kyle Hergel, Jordan McFadden and Luke Newman are slated as back-ups behind Thuney and Jackson. What does help is that he has extensive experience blocking in a zone-heavy scheme, which is what the Bears use in their running game.
There’s an opportunity for Barnett to play well and earn one of those backup spots. It starts this week at rookie camp.