The Chicago Bears aren’t used to this.
It’s been a long, long, long time since the Bears had a leader on offense who was considered one of the best offensive minds in the game. When you add Chicago’s history of arguably never having a true franchise quarterback, the pairing of coach Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams becomes a fantasy-turned-reality.
Simply put, Johnson is unlike any coach the Bears have hired in the NFL’s modern era.
He stands head and shoulders above Matt Eberflus, who was a relative coaching unknown and came out on top in one of the least inspiring Bears coaching searches in recent years. He’s not like Matt Nagy, whose play-calling abilities were never fully proven while working under Andy Reid and with Patrick Mahomes. Johnson is a stark contrast to John Fox, who was seen as a defensive-minded re-tread hire that left Bears fans feeling frustrated.
The list goes on and on (and on, and on). The key takeaway? Ben Johnson is different.
And it’s not just Bears fans who think this. In a recent ranking of the top playcallers in the NFL, Johnson ranked sixth, behind some of the league’s most well-respected coaches.
“Johnson’s job with the Chicago Bears will be much different than it was with the Lions,” The 33rd Team’s Dan Pizzuta wrote. “There will be a stark shift in the quality of the offensive line and the style of the quarterback. But Johnson now has a multi-year stretch of adjusting the offense to his players and setting up the best situation for them to succeed.
“All the trick plays are memorable, but it’s not just the singular plays. Johnson has an exceptional down-to-down plan with great sequencing that has allowed some of those bigger plays to work, and the former is what is going to be his differentiator in Chicago.”
The coaches ranked ahead of Johnson are the NFL’s Who’s Who of offense: Kyle Shanahan (49ers), Sean McVay (Rams), Matt LaFleur (Packers), Kevin O’Connell (Vikings), and Andy Reid (Chiefs).
Another notable nugget: two of the top five on this list are NFC North coaches, highlighting why it was so important for the Chicago Bears to open their checkbook and make sure Ben Johnson didn’t get away.
As Mosher pointed out, Johnson’s role in Chicago will be significantly more challenging than his previous seasons in Detroit. The Bears need to strengthen the offensive line and ensure that Caleb Williams receives the type of offseason support essential for young, exceptionally talented quarterbacks.
It might take a season or two for the Bears’ offense to reap the rewards of Johnson’s efforts, but it will happen. When it does, Soldier Field will witness an offensive performance that’s been absent for far too long.
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