Ben Johnson's turncoat maneuver in the NFC North was already a delight for Chicago Bears fans entering training. The offensive guru largely credited with the success of the Detroit Lions in recent years made his jump from Lions offensive coordinator to Bears head coach in hopes of finally turning things around for Chicago and, more precisely, jumpstart Caleb Williams' career. And though the Bears have yet to begin their preseason, landing Johnson already looks like a massive win, and the Lions were proof.
Detroit ostensibly got the preseason started by facing off with the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday. To say that the Lions offense struggled would be putting it mildly. Granted, it was entirely backups on the field for the most part in the game, but that didn't stop the Lions offense in the preseason when Johnson was manning the controls.
In the eventual 34-7 loss for Detroit, the Lions running backs averaged a dismal 3.3 yards per carry while Kyle Allen and Hendon Hooker combined to go just 12-of-20 for 104 yards with three interceptions. That, of course, is not what you want.
When you then start to look at last year's preseason when Johnson was in the fray for Detroit, the Bears clearly gained the upper-hand here when they hired their new head coach.
First Lions game without Ben Johnson proves Bears are the big winners
While the Lions offense struggled to find the end zone in their 2024 preseason opener under Johnson's watch, they were still far more encouraging with fewer turnovers, a better running game and generally not being an eyesore in a 14-3 loss to the Giants. They then scored 24 points in each of their remaining preseason games, despite Jared Goff not throwing a single pass in either of those games.
Juxtaposed with how lost the offense looked in the Hall of Fame Game, Lions fans have to be concerned while Bears fans should absolutely be celebrating. There's a clear factor missing for Detroit from last year to this year and, spoiler, it's not backup QB Nate Sudfeld.
Johnson's offensive schematics and grasp on how to put his players in the best position to succeed has long been considered second to none. While Dan Campbell ignited a cultural shift in Detroit, it wouldn't have taken to the level that it did with the Lions if Johnson wasn't igniting the offense. Now, he's with the Bears and we're already seeing after one game the negative effects that's having on the Lions. Fans in Chicago can now wait in anticipation to see what it also means for the Bears.
Bears should still feel great about Ben Johnson despite minor training camp concerns
Make no mistake, there have been some reported growing pains in Bears training camp. Whether we're talking about Luther Burden III having ups and downs as a rookies, the good and bad days mixed in for Williams, and so on, it hasn't been just an immediate turnaround for a Chicago offense that has been stuck in a malaise for several years, if not longer.
At the same time, this is a full new install for the offense and there are also plenty of new bodies in the fold, particularly along the offensive line. This was never going to be an immediate transition to the Bears operating like the Lions have in recent years under Johnson. However, when it does click, we're already seeing how valuable the new head coach in Chicago can be, and all it took was one preseason game in which the Bears weren't even involved.