Lions safety Kerby Joseph responds to perceived slight from Ben Johnson

Bears head coach Ben Johnson made a comment that some are taking as an insult to Jared Goff and the Lions defense—including Detroit safety Kerby Joseph.

On Tuesday, former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator turned head coach of the Chicago Bears Ben Johnson had his first press conference at the 2025 NFL Combine . During the media session, Johnson was expressing his excitement to work with Bears quarterback Caleb Williams when he made a comment that many took as a dig at both Lions quarterback Jared Goff and the Lions’ defense.

(Note: The bolded section is my emphasis to highlight the part people are taking umbrage with)

“The out-of-structure, the off-schedule, the creation, that’s what stands out the most because that’s really the way this league’s going right now, it seems like,” Johnson said. “As much as you want to make it pure progression, one to two to three, there’s just too much variety: the pass rush is coming down, and to have an athlete like Caleb extend the play and potentially find an explosive down the field, that’s what gets me going a little bit. I get excited thinking about that because I haven’t really been around that since I’ve been in the league. But I’ve been on the other side, and I have experienced it, and it’s demoralizing when you’re on the other side, and you’re watching that happen to your defense.”

While the comment initially only seemed to bother Lions fans, Johnson’s words did eventually work their way back to Lions safety Kerby Joseph, who only responded with a pair of pictures on Twitter.

Lions cornerback Amik Robertson saw Johnson’s comments, too, and had this to say:

While it’s hard to believe Johnson intended to insult Goff or the Lions’ defense with his comments, the damage appears to have been done. That Lions defense is going to have some extra motivation when they face off against the Bears offense twice next season.