In what was a busy offseason for the Chicago Bears, with several new roster additions and a new coaching staff, the vibe around the organization has been much different this year.

At this time last year, the Bears were preparing to be the feature team on HBO's "Hard Knocks" while first-round picks Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze were entering their first season in the league and Matt Eberflus was still the head coach. Following a 5-12 season, the Bears moved quickly to overall their coaching staff and the roster.

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Veteran safety Kevin Byard, who was in his first year with the team last season, has seen a real difference this offseason. From Eberflus and last year's team to the arrival of Ben Johnson and new teammates on both sides of the ball, Byard spoke about the big differences since last year, which brings a much different feeling.

“It's been fun," Byard said, without making many comparisons to the previous regime. "I don't really like to get into comparisons and stuff like that, but the intensity level of Ben Johnson – I feel like it's very evident. I think you guys can see that. A couple times where he's stopping practice, you can definitely hear him out there. It's been fun, a lot of competition, especially going with the offense. I really like the additions we made on offense and defense. I think those guys are going to help us out a lot this year.”

Johnson's arrival has changed the tone and culture inside the Bears organization before they've even stepped on the field for meaningful games. All of it will have to come together and fall in line for the team to improve in a big way from their disastrous 2024 season. But, so far, so good.

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears' Kevin Byard sees noticeable energy difference this offseason