5 Chicago Bears besides Caleb Williams who benefit the most from the Ben Johnson hire

Ben Johnson made a decision. While I am dubious that was the best thing for him in his budding NFL coaching career, Chicago Bears fans are doing cartwheels in the streets after getting their guy. To be fair, they did hire a pretty darn good one. Johnson was the architect of the Detroit Lions offense that almost made it to the Super Bowl two years ago. He comes to Chicago with a vision, hopefully a plan.

The idea behind Johnson coming to Chicago is to do something no Bears head coach has ever done before. Not only is 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams expected to throw for 4,000 yards next fall, but he needs to do it again in 2025, 2026, 2027 and beyond. See, the Bears believe they have landed the equivalent of Buddy Ryan on offense. To be transparent, they might have done so.

However, it is going to take more than a weekly herculean effort out of Williams every day and twice on NFL Sundays to get the Bears back to the promised land. This is why you hire Johnson. The hope is that his offensive scheme can get the most out of Williams' surrounding cast so he stops holding onto the ball so long. Assuming the game slows down for him in year two, things could be looking up.

So with that in mind, here are five other Bears besides Williams who benefit the most from this hire.

5. Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet

For an up-and-coming quarterback, a tight end is usually his best friend, a safety valve, if you will. With Cole Kmet appearing to be a mainstay with the Bears, he needs to become an even bigger part of the Chicago offense now that Johnson is calling the shots. Being able to convert on third down and in goal-line situations is key in the Bears' quest to transform a few more of those L's into W's.

While I do think Kmet has a chance to be as good as he was in college at Notre Dame for the Bears in this newfangled offense, there is a limitation to what he can conceivably do. Williams needs to spread the ball around to be most effective. He must be accurate and he must be precise. Again, having a safety valve with the upside of Kmet is big, but there are other guys on this team the hire helps more.

A slightly better rapport between Williams and Kmet could help Chicago keep the chains moving.

4. Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore

Veteran wide receiver D.J. Moore is one of the many assets the Bears gained from their high-profile trade with the Carolina Panthers so that they could take former Alabama star Bryce Young No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Two years into Young's NFL career, and he is finally starting to make the turn. Hiring Dave Canales was one of the best decisions the Panthers have ever made as a franchise.

That being said, Moore has kind of been in no-man's land ever since he decided to turn pro out of Maryland. His play has been great at times, but it has never really amounted to all that much winning. Even for a gifted playmaker such as himself, this can be some player's lot in their NFL life. However, I do believe that Johnson could put Moore into better situations to succeed as a receiver for Chicago.

Of course, Moore is who he is already, and there is a chance the Bears may end up trading him away.

3. Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift

Reunited and it feels so good, am I right? That would be what is at stake with Johnson coming over from Detroit. He will inherent one of the Lions' formerly featured offensive weapons in running back D'Andre Swift. While it has been a few years since he and Johnson collaborated offensively, Swift knows this scheme. He could be an integral part in putting this thing into motion for Chicago now.

With Swift entering the second year of his three-year deal he signed with Chicago, one would expect he will be around for the foreseeable future. Conversely, there is a chance Johnson wants general manager Ryan Poles to tear this thing down to the studs in an attempt at seriously rebuilding. Since Poles will not tolerate that, we can only hope he can get the most out of own of his big investments.

Having a running back on the good side of 30 who knows Johnson's scheme is a tremendous plus.

2. Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze

If there is any player who stands to benefit the most from Johnson taking over the Bears besides Williams, it would have to be his first-round draft classmate Rome Odunze. After electrifying us during his final season of college football with the Washington Huskies, Odunze's rookie season with the Bears was only so-so. The good news is most players improve the most between years one and two.

As expected, Odunze was drafted only a few picks after Williams to be his offensive running mate to the promised land. Of the many things that Johnson did quite well as the Lions' offensive coordinator, he was able to put his wide receivers in space to make plays. Having talent helps, but being put in positions to succeed are how you can get the most out of your talent. This hire is huge for Odunze.

If Odunze cannot become a superstar receiver playing for Johnson, then it is not in the cards for him.

1. Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles

Without question, not a soul benefits more from the Bears being able to land Johnson than the man who hired him away from the Lions in general manager Ryan Poles. If this hire works out, he will look like a genius. Should Johnson bomb, he will never have another opportunity to build an NFL team again. For as much flack as I have given Poles over the years, this is his best day working for Chicago.

While I still have my reservations about having Kevin Warren in the building, not nearly as much as my never-ending concerns about the Bears' lousy ownership, Poles was groomed in the Kansas City Chiefs front office before coming over. Not everyone who leaves Kansas City for Chicago ends up a star. Just ask former Bears head coach Matt Nagy how that is going. He might get another ring now!

For the time being, we can kind of sort of take Poles off the hook, as it was all Matt Eberflus' fault!