The 4 players who have impressed Ben Johnson this offseason

Story by

Story by

WGN Chicago
The 4 players who have impressed Ben Johnson this offseason

Eli Ong · WGN Chicago

Thu, Jun 5, 2025 ·

6 min read

About Our Ads

LAKE FOREST, Ill. ( WGN ) — On Wednesday, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson was asked about which players have impressed him the most this offseason, and on Thursday, he came prepared with four names—two on each side of the ball.

"I would say defensively, the two guys that I would tell you are Dom[inique] Robinson," Johnson said. "Even without the pads on, he has done a great job of consistently speed rushing up the field or countering back to the inside. He's done a really nice job there, and then he has some special teams value that he takes a lot of pride in as well. Then I thought the player we probably saw the most improvement from, when he stepped in to now, was Ruben Hyppolite.

"He's done a nice job of learning. He's swimming a little bit, but he's taking it seriously, and (Linebackers) Coach Richard Smith has done a fantastic job with him over the course the last few weeks. On offense, I would probably single out Joel Wilson . You saw him today with a big catch. He's kind of had one or two of those almost every OTA [practice].

"Then, in the running back room, Kyle Monangai has really stepped up … That's four good names for you right there."

Dominique Robinson

Robinson is heading into his fourth season and the final year of his rookie deal with the Bears.

According to Spotrac , he will earn a base salary of $1.1 million in 2025, while carrying a cap hit of $1,168,289. Robinson would carry a dead cap hit of $68,289 if he were to be cut by Chicago after training camp.

Given his limited production in the NFL over his first three seasons—he has 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in 34 games played—and this isn't the coaching staff that drafted him, he's likely fighting for his NFL life as we approach training camp.

That doesn't matter to Johnson, though. He's operating on a 'the past is the past' mantra and so far this offseason, Robinson "has popped out."

"He looks the part, for sure. As we know, O-line and D-line play, it's hard to really gauge too much," Johnson said. "But he does have a quick first step off the ball, and he lined up on our left tackles quite a bit here over the last few weeks, and you could tell that he got the edge on them a few times."

Ben Johnson: Repetition will lead to precision for Caleb Williams

Ruben Hyppolite II

Hyppolite was the Bears' fourth-round pick in this year's NFL draft out of the University of Maryland.

His selection in the fourth was a bit of a surprise, according to some around the NFL. Hyppolite was the first player selected in this year's draft who wasn't invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, and The Athletic's Dane Bugler gave him an undrafted free agent grade on the way to ranking 34 other linebackers ahead of him in The Beast —a.k.a. The Athletic's massive NFL draft guide.

What impressed Chicago enough to spend a fourth round pick on him was the 40-time he posted at his Pro Day (4.42), and how well he interviewed during his pre-draft Top 30 visit with the Bears.

"It was a great '30' visit," Dennis Allen told Bears.com senior writer Larry Mayer . "He's mature, he's self-aware about who he is as a football player. We went into the draft saying we have to try to increase our athleticism and speed, and he certainly does that at the linebacker position.

"You spend some time with these guys and you kind of get a feel for what their personality is going to be like. He's got a serious personality and he's kind of got a pro's mentality already, and that's a good starting point."

Johnson concurred Hyppolite's speed and mentality have helped him make positive strides in the "read and react" nature of how Allen wants his linebackers to play on defense.

"He's done a great job of adjusting to that speed as we've gone through, and that's going to have to show up once we do get the pads on," Johnson said. "He has been improving every single day, and, really, we're hoping that course continues."

Joel Wilson

Wilson originally signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and has spent his NFL career bouncing from practice squad to practice squad, having yet to log a snap in a regular-season game with any of the four teams he's been rostered by (Bills, Green Bay Packers , New York Giants and the Bears).

Before his time in the NFL, Wilson played collegiately at Central Michigan University, where he notched 82 catches for 874 yards and 12 TD catches over five seasons in Mount Pleasant. This included a third-team All-MAC selection in 2022 when he reeled in 44 catches for 445 yards and six TD catches.

Johnson, who spent a large chunk of time climbing the coaching career ladder working with tight ends, sees potential for Wilson as a pass catcher in the Bears' offense.

"He has a little savvy in how he moves. He has a nice route feel about him," Johnson said. "The test will really be when we get going in camp—how he holds up in the run game and in the pass pro game. But, so far, in the running routes section of tight end play, I think he stood out in a positive light."

Kyle Monangai

Running back was one of the most talked-about positions of need for Chicago ahead of the draft.

Speculation ran rampant on trading up for Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty , or taking a running back like Quinshon Judkins , TreVeyon Henderson or Cam Skattebo in the second-to-fourth round.

Instead, the Bears used their final pick of the 2025 NFL draft on Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai, who—had it not been for how deep this year's class was—would have gone much earlier in the draft.

After four seasons in the Scarlett Knights' backfield, Monangai totaled 669 carries for 3,221 yards and 27 TD runs without a single fumble.

According to ESPN's Courtney Cronin , his 669 rushes without a fumble are the most by any FBS player since 2021 (Monangai's redshirt freshman year).

In an article for NorthJersey.com , Monangai's college head coach, Greg Schiano, said his diligent preparation for games off the field, in both the weight and film room, was the reason he ended up with back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons to end his Rutgers career, and never fumbled the football.

It's that level of preparedness that has already caught Johnson's eye this offseason.

"I appreciate the attention to detail and the pride he takes and how quickly he's picking things up," Johnson said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: