Ben Johnson says Chicago Bears are about to find out just how good they really are

The Bears will hold upcoming joint practices with the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans, giving Johnson and his coaching staff an opportunity to evaluate their roster against different competition after weeks of offense-versus-defense work at Halas Hall.

And Johnson believes the timing is perfect.

"Yeah, I think that's what you want for your team," Johnson said. "You want each side challenging each other. You go in with the offense and defense, and both sides are kind of pissed off with what it looks like at times, which is healthy this time of year."

Joint Practices will be more valuable than preseason games for Bears

That's been a recurring theme throughout Bears training camp. There have been practices when Caleb Williams and the offense have won the day, and others when the defense has responded. That back-and-forth is exactly what Johnson wants at this stage of the summer.

But eventually, evaluating your own team against itself has limitations. That's where the joint practices come in.

"Hopefully, these joint practices with Cincy and Tennessee will tell us where we stand relative to the rest of the league," Johnson said.

Chicago enters 2026 with legitimate expectations of making another playoff run, but questions remain on both sides of the ball. The Bears are still sorting through their options at left tackle, while injuries have already tested the depth of a secondary that will be without Coby Bryant for potentially the entire regular season.

Joint practices should provide more answers than another day of familiar matchups at Halas Hall.

"As the head coach, you wonder how good can we be," Johnson said, "and hopefully those questions get answered over the next few weeks."