The chemistry between quarterback Brett Rypien and receiver Collin Johnson was evident in last Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game.
The two reserves teamed up to produce two touchdown passes of 20 and nine yards, leading the Bears to a 21-17 storm-shortened comeback win over the Texans.
Rypien and Johnson obviously work together in practice, but they've also formed a bond off the field—in part because they've traveled a similar path, overcoming adversity and never wavering in pursuit of their NFL dream.
"I've been real close with him ever since I got into the building," said Rypien, who signed with the Bears in March. "He's a great guy and an unbelievable player too."
Rypien entered the NFL in 2019 with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Boise State. He boomeranged back-and-forth between the active roster and practice squad for four seasons, appearing in eight games with three starts and passing for 778 yards and four touchdowns.
Rypien signed with the Rams in 2023 but was waived Nov. 7 after he threw for 130 yards with one interception in his first start of the year, a 20-3 road loss to the Packers. He later spent parts of the season with the Seahawks and Jets but did not play.
Eager to get back on the field and rebound from his disappointing start at Lambeau Field, Rypien did just that in the Hall of Fame Game, completing 11 of 15 passes for 166 yards with three touchdowns and a stellar 148.9 passer rating.
"This one meant a lot to me," Rypien said after the game. "I was sitting on a year [since] my last start in Green Bay didn't go the way I wanted it to. I've had a bad taste in my mouth the entire offseason and took the approach that I didn't really know how this year was going to look. I didn't even know if I was going to have an opportunity to compete for anything. But I just kept working hard every single day and said I'm going to just do what I can, know how I play my best football and try to get back to that. And so when you put in the work and it shows, it feels good."
After waiting until May to sign with the Rams last year, Rypien was thrilled to join the Bears on the first day of free agency March 13.
"Obviously when you come off a year where you bounce between three different teams, it's never an ideal scenario," he said. "But I just told myself control what you can control and keep doing what I've been doing since I've been in this league for six years now."
Johnson, meanwhile, was selected by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Texas. After catching 18 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns in the first 14 games of his rookie season, he missed the final two contests with a hamstring injury.
After being waived by the Jaguars as part of final cuts in 2021, Johnson was claimed by the Giants and played in 12 games, catching 11 passes for 105 yards.
In 2022, Johnson was having an excellent training camp with the Giants and had 10 receptions in the first two preseason games when he was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon he sustained in practice.
Released by the Giants as part of final cuts in 2023, Johnson was signed to the Bears practice squad last Oct. 10 and later promoted to the active roster. He played 40 snaps in the final three games, catching one pass for 11 yards.
With chances to impress in games having been few and far between, Johnson treated the Bears' preseason opener like his own personal Super Bowl.
"Every time you strap up your cleats and shoulder pads and helmet, it's a blessing," he said. "So, I kind of entered the game with just a sense of gratitude, and I felt honored to have the opportunity to play this amazing game. It's been a long journey for me with injuries and stuff like that, so I just wanted to put my best foot forward. I think I did that. I left some plays out there; I'm just going to learn from that. I'm just going to keep my foot on the gas, keep going, keep improving because that's all I know.
"I was super emotional in the locker room because I've had such a long journey. It was my first time getting in the end zone since 2020. I had to sit out a year in 2022 after I tore my Achilles and I've just kind of been through the injury bug a little bit. But I never stopped working. I never stopped keeping the faith and I'm just going to build off this and keep working in everything I do."
