Even during high-profile rollout, Bears forced to come to terms with Ben Johnson mistake
So, the Chicago Bears have a new head coach.
Ben Johnson, the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, now crosses state lines and teams up with an arch-rival. The Bears are entrusting Caleb Williams' development to football's latest whiz-kid play-caller. At 38 years old, Johnson has three seasons of coordinator work under his belt and zero head coaching experience. This will be a challenge for all involved.
The Bears' franchise can feel awfully cursed nowadays, but on paper, this team is in a great situation. Johnson's rise has been meteoric, but not undeserved. There's a reason so many front offices took interest in his promotion in Detroit. On balance, the Lions' offense has been the best in football since Johnson took the commands.
Johnson can now apply his extreme offensive intuition to a group built around Caleb Williams, the former No. 1 pick. It was a bumpy rookie campaign for Williams, but for reasons largely out of his control. The 23-year-old is still a major talent, which often shined through despite the misfortune of his circumstances in 2024.
Chicago has solid pass-catchers, a great up-and-coming quarterback, and enough of a defense to contend if Johnson can elevate the Bears' offense anywhere close to its ceiling. There's a reason the excitement is palpable in Chicago.
Bears hype up Ben Johnson, but there are concerns after Lions postseason meltdown
Johnson couldn't have learned the ropes from a better head coach than Dan Campbell. He has the play-calling down pat, but Johnson has never led a locker room. There is a moment in the above clip, however, that sounds distinctly like a Dan Campbell protege.
"There's nothing more important than that locker room," he tells Bears staffers. "And us serving that locker room and those players."
Campbell is the ultimate players' coach. It feels like the entire Lions roster would run through a brick wall for him. If Johnson can achieve even a fraction of Campbell's locker room loyalty and culture, the Bears are on the right path.
We know Johnson can call plays and put the offense in a better position than Matt Eberflus. I'd imagine he handles the clock better and is more precise in his overall machinations. That said, the Bears also need to contend with Johnson's very high-profile blunder in the NFC Divisional Round when the Lions — down 10 in the fourth quarter with a chance to strike back — drew up a reckless trick play for Jameson Williams, a notoriously erratic decision-maker, who then threw an interception into traffic. On first down.
That was an utterly confounding decision from Johnson, whose ambition as a play-caller can sometimes get the best of him. The track record for highly-touted offensive coordinators transitioning into head coaching roles is mixed, with a few noteworthy success stories (see: McVay, Sean and Shanahan, Kyle). Johnson will need to check his own worst instincts and allow input from others. Aggression is a positive trait in an OC (and a head coach), but it has to be measured. Kept in check.
Johnson wanted to be in Chicago the whole time, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. He clearly covets the chance to work alongside a quarterback like Williams, whose potential sits among the very best players in the sport. That said, it's not all sunshine and rainbows in Chicago right now. The Bears need to make sure Johnson has the necessary support — the necessary checks and balances — to succeed.