“On Friday evening, fingers in the Halas Hall draft room remained crossed that a swing at landing a playmaking running back would connect,” Wiederer wrote. “Poles pressed the gas and made aggressive attempts to trade up. Henderson’s blend of speed and vision, plus his tenacity in pass protection and skill as a pass catcher, were alluring. The Bears had significant interest.”
Bears CB Jaylon Johnson said he walked out of the first team meeting with a clear expectation on what to expect out of the new leadership.
“It’s really just the mindset of winning and winning right now and winning a certain type of way too,” Johnson said, via the team’s website. “Having that dominating mentality is something I took away from that team meeting. And it starts now. “It starts with the work we put in. It starts with jelling and being cohesive and understanding what they’re going to be asking of us, especially on defense. Just understanding the mentality, understanding the mindset, understanding the identity we’re going to establish. Really just chasing that throughout the offseason.”
Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds explained how the team has been moving on from the old regime and building towards their ultimate goal under Johnson’s staff.
“We know where we’re trying to get to as a program, and I think we’re going in the right direction, bringing the right people in, and that starts up top with the coaching staff,” Edmunds said. “From there, bringing in the right players and now that’s what this time is for – building that identity, building that team chemistry to be able to work towards a goal, but we know that’s a long ways away, so we have to start now. We have to build that identity and we have to put the work in.”
Johnson said it was important to him to show up to voluntary workouts as a sign of respect.
“I think it’s big for me to just come in and be able to shake guys’ hands, see them in person, to come in and really just be with the guys, show the guys that I’m here,” he said. “Really just show my face. For me that was important to do on Day 1.”
Edmunds added that the first team meeting was a crucial step in establishing identity and a common goal for the unit.
“You can feel it — the confidence level, being a first-time head coach and being able to address the room, that’s important,” Edmunds said. “You feel that as players, you feel that as everybody in the room. He stepped up there with confidence, guys were all ears, gave him the utmost respect. That’s what it’s all about. You feel that as players. I felt that. I’m like, ‘okay, this guy is the real deal.’ We have the same mindset. That’s the thing to get most excited about. Even walking out of that room it’s like ‘Okay, I feel the energy. Let’s put the work in as players now.‘”