Bears

Bears HC Ben Johnson said he plans to put his players through another demanding training camp as Chicago works to build on last season’s success.

“Anything worth doing is going to be challenging,” Johnson said, via The Athletic. “These guys all know that, and I think they embrace it as well.”

Johnson emphasized that the Bears cannot rely on what they accomplished in 2025 and must approach the new season as a fresh start.

“You talk about sustaining success? Well, shoot. We are starting all over again,” Johnson said. “That’s been the consistent message.”

Johnson added that rebuilding the chemistry Chicago developed last season will be one of the team’s priorities throughout training camp.

“We are in a race right now,” Johnson said, “to develop the same chemistry we had a year ago. I think that was one of the things that was our secret sauce: guys playing for each other. We had a really close-knit group.”

Johnson said he hopes QB Caleb Williams’ accumulated experience will help him process defensive looks and make decisions more quickly during full-speed practices.

“When you get into the bullets flying and to where we’ve got full-speed reps here with O versus D, I think that’s where the ability (for him) to see, ‘Where should I go with the football?’ the process (becomes) a little bit faster,” Johnson said. “I’m hopeful we see another step in terms of the processing speed because we do have these banked reps at this point.”

Bears GM Ryan Poles said Johnson and Williams have formed a strong relationship because they share the same championship aspirations.

“They both want to be great and win Super Bowls,” Poles said. “And that’s all that matters.”

Johnson said the coaching staff will intentionally challenge the team’s players because he believes pressure helps reveal their full potential.

“As a coaching staff, we will apply pressure and stress on these guys,” Johnson said. “I think that’s where the best version of yourself comes forward.”

Lions

Lions HC Dan Campbell said releasing CB Terrion Arnold was difficult, but the organization believed it was the best decision for the team.

“You never want to let go of a player, especially somebody that you’ve been around for a while here and you drafted,” Campbell said, via ESPN. “It’s unfortunate, but we made the move we thought was best for us.”

Campbell said he remains confident in Detroit’s cornerback group following Arnold’s release.

“We feel pretty good in that room with the competition between veterans and young guys,” Campbell said.

Lions CB D.J. Reed said he remains supportive of Arnold despite the legal situation and Detroit’s decision to release him.

“He’s a great human being, one of the better men, better teammates that I’ve met in the league,” Reed said. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but he’s a great dude. A great human being. His energy is always positive. I reached out to him. He’s doing good.”

Packers

Packers CB Keisean Nixon was a full-time outside corner for the first time in his professional career last year after being mostly a slot specialist. Nixon felt he improved as the year went on with more reps, which should bode well for his performance in 2026. 

“The year before I was playing corner but I was also playing nickel, like in those packages, and then just playing outside I felt like I got better as the season went on just because of the reps,” Nixon said, via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “You get all the reps outside, it’s just a different beast. I feel like my body slimmed up. I got skinnier just because I run more. It’s going good though.”