The Chicago Bears have their coach of the future. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has accepted the head coaching position with the Bears. Johnson will have the opportunity to work with standout quarterback Caleb Williams and attempt to revamp the struggling Bears offense.
Ben Johnson To The Bears: A Deep Dive
The Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams have their coach. Chicago let go of head coach Matt Eberflus after a brutal loss to Johnson and the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. Once the offseason began, Chicago immediately turned their focus to hiring their next head coach. This was a critical move for the Bears as they must capitalize on Caleb Williams’ potential at quarterback.
Johnson’s success in Detroit
The Detroit Lions offense has been nothing short of dominant over the last two seasons. The Lions ranked first in points this season with 33.2 per game and second in yards with 409.5 per game. Detroit has dominated through the air and on the ground this season under Johnson. Last season, the Lions were fifth in points per game with 27.1 and third in yards with 394.8 per game. Even in 2022 the Lions had an elite offense as they averaged 380 yards per game, the fourth best in the league. They were also fifth in points per game, averaging 26.2 . All of these elite offensive seasons were led by Johnson at offensive coordinator.
Johnson oversaw a massive turnaround with his quarterback Jared Goff . Goff was somewhat written off when he was traded to Detroit for Matthew Stafford. In 2022, Goff threw for 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions with 4,438 yards . Goff followed this up with a great 2023 season, posting 4,575 yards with a 30-12 TD-INT ratio. This year was arguably the best of his career. Jared Goff threw for 4,629 yards, 37 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a whopping completion percentage of 72.4. All this to say, Johnson is great at developing and improving quarterbacks. The Bears likely saw this trait in Johnson and think he will make an elite pairing with Caleb Williams.
How the Bears offense and Caleb Williams will improve under Johnson
The Chicago Bears offense struggled mightily last year, averaging an abysmal 284.6 yards per game, which was the worst in the league. The team just 18.2 points per game, showcasing a need for an offensive minded head coach. Even with these lowly numbers, quarterback Caleb Williams showed many flashes of brilliance. Williams threw for 20 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions. He added 3,541 yards through the air and 489 yards rushing. The main knock on Williams is he frequently holds the ball too long, taking numerous sacks. However, a lot of these sacks were not his fault.
Chicago still may struggle
Although Johnson will improve the Bears offense, and further the development of Williams, this team still needs a lot more help to get back to contention. The Bears offensive line was abysmal this season, as Williams had a pressure to sack rate of 28.2% . This is an extremely high number, and Williams often showed brilliance of mobility. The Bears must improve their offensive line in order to see permanent success with Williams and Johnson .
What to expect in year 1
We will very likely see improvement from the Bears’ offense in Johnson’s first season as head coach. He is a brilliant play caller, showcased by his time in Detroit, and Williams is an elite quarterback talent. The Bears have skill around Williams as well, highlighted by receivers D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen , and Rome Odunze. If Chicago can find ways to improve their offensive line, we could see a playoff push. However, if the line continues to struggle, the ceiling for improvement will only be so high.
Main Photo: Junfu Han – USA Today Sports
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