Cornerback Jaylon Johnson and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds are on the same page regarding what first-year coach Ben Johnson's desired mindset is for the 2025 Bears.

Dominate.

Johnson met with the team Monday morning to kick off the offseason program, which begins with two weeks of voluntary workouts. Both players, veterans and captains, walked out of the meeting with a clear understanding of what to expect this season.

"It's really just the mindset of winning and winning right now and winning a certain type of way too," Jaylon Johnson told reporters Tuesday. "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."

The way Ben Johnson wants to win also stood out to Edmunds.

Having watched his head coach previously lead the Lions offense, which led the NFL in scoring during his three-year stint as offensive coordinator, Edmunds gained respect for Detroit's ability to "put up a lot of points." Now, the linebacker can see how Johnson's demeanor can translate to his new group of players in Chicago.

"He doesn't just want to win. We want to win by a lot," Edmunds said. "We want to dominate. That's important. That just talks about his mentality, talks about his mindset. It's like, 'nah, we're gonna be the best we're gonna be.' We want to dominate, and we want our opponent to feel that for sure."

While the Bears will have to wait five more months before they can bring that mentality into a regular-season game, players can start building it now through workouts and soon, practices, meetings and team bonding opportunities.

"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."

For Edmunds and Jaylon Johnson, now isn't the time to buy into any hype or predictions for the upcoming season. It's about getting back in the building and starting to form relationships with new coaches and teammates before diving into the playbook.

That opportunity to connect in person and gain familiarity with new faces was crucial for Johnson, who wanted to "show respect" by attending voluntary workouts.

"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."

The players and coaches are in the early stages of getting to know each other, but the defense already has a sense of who their new leader is in coordinator Dennis Allen. Entering his 30th season in the coaching profession, Allen has eight years of defensive coordinator experience and six years of head-coaching experience.

While Allen hasn't finalized the defensive scheme yet or discussed where players will fit in, he's established the expectations for his group. Edmunds noted that Allen was "blunt" and "very direct" while delivering his message of wanting to "win now."

"I can tell just by his energy, his passion, the way he communicates his words, the tone in which he communicates is all geared toward, 'we want this to happen right now. We're not waiting for anything. Let's hit the ground running,'" Edmunds said. "We're all excited, and not just that, but it's all about belief. Belief that we can win now, belief that we can be special right now."

This week isn't just about players meeting coaches and vice versa. Returners such as Edmunds and Johnson had the opportunity to meet some of their new teammates after the Bears were active after the start of the new league year, including the acquisition of three new offensive linemen in Joe Thuney, Jonah Jacksonand Drew Dalman and the signing of several veterans on defense, including tackle Grady Jarrett and end Dayo Odeyingbo.

While Jaylon Johnson has only been able to watch YouTube highlights of his new teammates, he's excited about how the additions up front can bolster the entire defense.

"Grady's been playing this game at a high level for a long time," Jaylon Johnson said. "I've always been a big fan of his game when he was in Atlanta. So definitely getting a dog like that up front is going to help me out on the back end and I know he's going to cause some havoc too in the run game. Pairing him with A-Bill (Andrew Billings) I think will be a sight to see, for sure. And then Dayo, I think him seeing how aggressive he is off the edge and how disruptive he is, he can definitely help us on defense."

With the 2025 NFL Draft nearly two weeks away, organized team activity workouts beginning in six weeks and mandatory minicamp eight weeks out, the Bears are gearing up for a busy and valuable stretch of the offseason, where building team chemistry will be key.

While the players at Halas Hall will help determine that culture, Ben Johnson will first set the tone and standards. While that process will continue throughout the offseason, Johnson's first impression during Monday's team meeting was a crucial, and successful, first step.

"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.'"