INDIANAPOLIS — The cycle the Chicago Bears have found themselves in over the past decade is well known and oft-discussed.

The annual scouting combine in Indianapolis allows for all 32 teams to be in one place at the same time and wonder, did the Bears finally get it right?

“They need alignment to win in Chicago,” one opposing assistant coach said.

That can be true everywhere, but it’s been especially lacking among the league’s worst teams. When head coach Ben Johnson stepped to the podium in Indianapolis, he became the fifth Bears head coach in the past 13 years to go through his “first combine news conference.” General manager Ryan Poles talked about working with Johnson to identify players that fit his system in a way we heard about Matt Eberflus, and then from Ryan Pace with Matt Nagy and John Fox, and Phil Emery with Marc Trestman.

One benefit to the start of the Johnson era: the Bears didn’t have to spend the week worrying about quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, or Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers. They have Caleb Williams. They hope to have the “alignment,” which means more than simply a GM, coach and quarterback being together for the long term. It also means, in the short term, getting everyone working in concert.

Multiple league sources pointed to the obvious disconnect with the 2024 Bears, using the cliched phrase of things “not being on the same page” when it came to the offense and Williams’ development.

“You got to have a plan to build around Caleb — and they seem to have that now,” said a scout who has watched the Bears closely.

A lot went wrong for the Bears last season. But they got the coach everyone wanted them to get. They have the quarterback most thought they should draft. And they have the resources to build around both.

Now it’s about finally being “aligned” and not having to spend every February in Indianapolis as a team that elicits questions about their future.

Ben and Caleb, Year 1

As another opposing assistant coach considered the Bears’ outlook, he kept coming back to the same thought.

“I’m very interested to see what that looks like with Ben and Caleb,” he said.

That coach is still high on Williams, saying it’s “when not if” Williams can be a great quarterback. It’s now on Johnson to help him reach that potential.

The league will be watching how Johnson’s relationship with Williams develops and plays out on the field. One league source familiar with Johnson’s coaching style described him as intensely passionate — someone who can be “red ass” and “pissy” during games. Those descriptions were meant as compliments. Johnson is competitive and his players will feel it — especially his quarterback.

The question is how well Williams responds to it all from Johnson. Some observers, though, think Williams needs that type of coaching after watching him during his rookie season.

“He’s going to be on his case,” the source said. “He’s going to be challenged.”

“Johnson should be good for Caleb,” a scout said.

Several agents, coaches and scouts suggested that there will be more pressure on Williams after what happened during his rookie year. While Jayden Daniels won with the Washington Commanders and made the playoffs as a rookie, Williams got caught in a 10-game losing streak. His first head coach and offensive coordinator in the NFL were fired. Some of those same league sources referenced what happened with the Bears’ previous selection of Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes. It became a national talking point.

That said, there is some newfound optimism surrounding Williams because of Johnson’s hiring. Everything is still fixable, multiple scouts said. Johnson’s pairing with Jared Goff thrived for many reasons, from Johnson listening to the veteran QB to Goff responding to the challenges from his energetic offensive coordinator.

“I like Johnson. How could you not?” a QB coach said. “Caleb should play better.”

There is plenty for Williams to fix under Johnson’s tutelage. His development never felt on track during last season. Poles mentioned that himself during an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio early on during the combine.

“(Johnson’s) going to bring him all the way down to the ground floor again and build him up the right way,” Poles said. “I think through the process, probably some unknowns, we probably skipped some steps in his development, some of those critical things that you really can’t go to Step 2 before you’ve finished Step 1. And that takes some time.

“So bringing him on to the ground floor and building him back up is going to be critical. They’re going to be very honest with each other in terms of what needs to happen to get him to take that next step.”

In different interviews at the combine, Johnson continued to highlight what Williams can do as a playmaker, especially when play calls break down. New offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said the same when he first met the media. It’s what distinguishes Williams from Goff and other QBs.

An opposing assistant coach expects the Bears to try to capitalize on that skill set and scheme Williams up to be on the move. He referenced Doyle’s time in Denver, where Bo Nix led the league in pass attempts from outside the pocket.

Quarterback play is more than that, though.

Others at the combine often highlighted the importance of Getting Williams to play within structure and consistently make easy throws. As the quarterback coach said, “(Williams) was terrible from the pocket. He needs to get better there.”

But you couldn’t have any dialogue about what Johnson could do for Williams without addressing the 300-pound, pass protecting and run-blocking elephants in the room — the holes along the offensive line.

Spending up front in free agency

When it comes to free agency, the buzz at the combine was that the Bears are seemingly prepared to spend on the interior of the offensive line, potentially signing two new starters. Johnson seemed to hint at that when he noted what the Carolina Panthers did last year by signing two new guards.

The guard market started with Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith until Thursday, when the Chiefs informed Smith that they would be using the franchise tag on him. The tag for offensive linemen is $23.4 million.

An informal polling of coaches, scouts, agents and other team employees last week suggested the Chiefs will do what they can to retain Smith. “I can’t see the Chiefs letting him go,” a longtime agent, who is familiar with the offensive line market, said early last week.

It would be a surprise, then, if the Chiefs treated Smith’s situation like that of cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who received the non-exclusive franchise tag from Kansas City last year before being traded to the Titans.

Smith received the same type of tag, so if the Bears, Minnesota Vikings or another team wants to give up draft capital and sign Smith, that organization would have to be prepared to reset the guard market, possibly going as high as $26 million per season. By using the $23.4 million tag, the Chiefs essentially did that on their end.

Last year, the Miami Dolphins signed Robert Hunt to a five-year, $100 million contract, which included a guarantee of $44 million. But Hunt’s yearly average of $20 million still trailed Philadelphia Eagles guard Landon Dickerson ($21 million) and Atlanta Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom ($20.5 million).

When free agency gets underway next week, the focus will shift to the next tier of interior offensive linemen, such as Drew Dalman, who is far and away the best center hitting the market. Another interior option is guard Kevin Zeitler, who played for Johnson and the Lions last season. Signing Zeitler wouldn’t require a significant contract. He turns 35 soon.

Guards Will Fries (Colts) and Aaron Banks (49ers) will be other candidates for the Bears to consider as they enter the new league year with the third-most cap space, per Over the Cap.

The other obvious need for the Bears is at a pass rusher. Eagles pass rusher Josh Sweat is by far the best free agent.

“You have to be careful with trying to buy your way out of trouble,” a scout said.

The Bears, as an organization, should know that well.

Scouting the offensive line

Even if the Bears can land two starting offensive linemen in free agency, they will still need to draft one, if not two. That conversation begins with LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, whose arm length was the measurable that got the most attention among offensive linemen at the combine. At 32 5/8 inches, that’d be in the seventh percentile for offensive tackles, possibly setting him up for a career at guard.

Now, in Detroit, Johnson wasn’t necessarily working with tackles who had vines for arms — Penei Sewell’s 33 1/4-inch arms are in the 18th percentile. Taylor Decker is just shy of 34 inches, ranking in the 33rd percentile. Meanwhile, Poles has drafted left tackles Braxton Jones (35 3/8 inches) and Kiran Amegadjie (36 1/8 inches).

One scout said that Campbell’s fit with a team will just depend on what they prefer. He would slide in at guard for some, while others might keep him at tackle, where he was a starter from the day he got to Baton Rouge.

“He’s steady and consistent,” the scout said, adding that Campbell impressed during his combine interviews.

Campbell, who is Dane Brugler’s top-ranked offensive lineman, might not even get to No. 10. If he did, however, he would be considered a pretty safe pick, regardless of the arm length. He could step in as a starting guard as a rookie.

Alabama guard Tyler Booker will also be discussed as a potential Bears target. His measurements at the combine were eye-popping — 34 1/2-inch arms and 11-inch hands.

The year of the running back

Some scouts and agents openly wondered what the Bears would do at running back, given what the Lions had the past two seasons with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Johnson provided D’Andre Swift with multiple votes of confidence in different interviews, often referring to him as “Swifty.” With Swift signed through 2026, the draft looks like the best option if Johnson wants more from the position.

Coming off Saquon Barkley’s sensational season, the running back is back, and the draft is deep in the backfield.

“The headliner might be (Ashton) Jeanty,” an opposing coach said, “but there’s a bunch of starters throughout the draft.” Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton and Ohio State’s Treyveon Henderson come to mind.

When posed with the idea of Jeanty being an option to the Bears at No. 10, the coach responded, “What’s the Bears’ offensive line going to look like?”

As it often is in Chicago, it always comes back to the offensive line, and that group should have — at least — three new starters by the end of April. Now we wait to see who the other running back behind them will be.

Finding No. 3s to help the QB

How else can the Bears properly support Williams? The opposing coach who is still bullish on Williams thinks he would benefit from a veteran No. 3 quarterback in the room.

The hope last summer was that Brett Rypien could have been that player, but he was claimed by the Vikings after the preseason. Williams’ backups were second-year pro Tyson Bagent and rookie Austin Reed. The addition of Ryan Griffin to the coaching staff was done, in part, to give Williams a “veteran QB” in the room, but this coach explained why that’s not the same.

“When you’re on the sideline, it can be easier to lean on a veteran quarterback than a coach,” he said.

Another “No. 3” need for Williams is at receiver, where the Bears have a hole behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. This coach, considering Johnson’s offense in Detroit and the skill sets of the Bears’ top receivers, suggested a slot receiver, someone who can be more of a threat in between the numbers and allow Odunze to be an outside, take-the-top-off wideout.

The coach mentioned Amon-Ra St. Brown and what he meant to the Lions’ offense. Per TruMedia, St. Brown was eighth in the league in receiving yards from the slot.

The Bears can’t just go find another Amon-Ra St. Brown, but it’s a reminder of what a receiver like that has meant in Johnson’s scheme. Add it to the needs list with the player acquisition period set to begin.