Chicago Bears head coaching search 2024: Profiling Ben Johnson

We end our series profiling possible candidates for the Chicago Bears head coaching vacancy with Ben Johnson, the number one candidate for most fans.

We end our series profiling the possible candidates for the Chicago Bears’ vacant head coach job. The team fired Matt Eberflus after another gut-wrenching gaffe at the end of its loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. The players revolted after that and it was evident Eberflus could not continue.

Now the team has Thomas Brown as the interim head coach. His debut did not go well at all last week in the Bears’ blowout loss 38-13 to the San Francisco 49ers. While Brown is a favorite among some fans he likely will not be on the sidelines when the 2025 season begins.

Our series has profiled a number of different types of candidates. You can click on the names to see their profiles. The candidates are Brian Flores, Jesse Minter, Kellen Moore, Joe Brady, Greg Roman, and Bobby Slowick.

We end our series by profiling Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Johnson has emerged as one of the top offensive minds in the NFL. There were many teams around the league who were interested in Johnson to become their head coach last offseason. However, he decided to stay in Detroit after their heart-breaking loss in the NFC Championship game.

Now it appears that no matter what happens Johnson will depart from the Lions and take over a team. Chicago Bears fans hope that he stays in the NFC North and picks their team.

Ben Johnson Profile

Age: 38
Coaching Experience: Miami Dolphins 2012-2018: Offensive Assistant/Assistant QB Coach/TE Coach/Assistant WR Coach/WR Coach; Detroit Lions 2019-2024: Offensive Quality Control/TE Coach/Offensive Coordinator
NFL Head Coach? No

Ben Johnson has been in the league since 2012. He has only coached for two teams, the Miami Dolphins and the Lions. He has only been an offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. However, he has been wildly successful in that time. His offensive system has ranked in the top five in both yards and points.

This season, the Lions rank second in total yards and lead the league in points scored. They average 32.8 points per game. Johnson has the reputation as an innovative coach. His schemes put his players in the best possible position to succeed and they have.

In contrast, the Chicago Bears average 19.5 points per game. They reached 30+ points in two games in consecutive weeks against the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars, two of the worst defenses in the league. While the defense has had some struggles due to injuries, the unit is still top ten in points allowed.

Johnson will be a hot commodity this offseason. There are a number of teams who would covet his services. The Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets are just two of the teams who could be in competition with the Chicago Bears for Johnson.

Despite the front office being unable to get things right, the Chicago Bears’ job is attractive. They have Caleb Williams, who has shown toughness in the midst of dealing with horrible protection and coaching. He is showing that he is the face of the franchise this team has desperately needed.

In addition to Williams, the offense has some weapons. D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze highlight the wide receivers corps. They also have Keenan Allen, but it is a question if he returns in 2025. Also, they have running back D’Andre Swift, who can also be valuable in the passing game, as well as Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, two tight ends who have shown in the past that they are good targets.

While there are many criticizing Swift for his up and down season, the system he is in is wrong for his skill set. He is not a power back that is needed for the Chicago Bears offense. He is more of a finesse runner. Asking him to try to run through a wall is a mistake. He should be going to the outside and speeding past defenders. That is exactly what has happened on a number of occasions this season.

Johnson has a dynamic running game in Detroit. He of course has David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. He could do the same with Swift and Roschon Johnson. Johnson is the tougher runner between the two. Johnson could decide to go with another back as well. Johnson has shown in his two seasons that concussions are a concern with him.

Johnson could do wonders with Williams. He has a lump of clay he can mold. Williams wants to win more than anything else and is willing to do the work to do it. Johnson has the cache with his three years as offensive coordinator and his age helps him relate to the players.

The @Lions dipping into the bag of tricks early with the double pass 🔥

📺 CBS & Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/T0CAgUjRYi

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 15, 2024

The Chicago Bears have tried the route of picking unknown coaches and have them learn on the job. Yes, Johnson does not have head coaching experience. However, there is no questioning his offensive mind. He has proven it with his three seasons as offensive coordinator.

Johnson is able to not only adapt to his players’ skills but also to what happens during a game. He makes quick adjustments if his original game plan is not working. That is something that the Chicago Bears have lacked for so long. Their coordinators have been slow adjust their game plan.

We saw in the past couple of months how the offense gets off to a slow start then go off in the second half to put them in a position to win. They need to not dig themselves a big hole to then have to dig their way out. That is not a recipe for winning.

Another thing Johnson does is spread the ball around. In Detroit’s Week 15 game against the Buffalo Bills, quarterback Jared Goff had 494 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, and no turnovers. He completed 4+ passes to five different receivers.

However, Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions’ leading receiver, was still fed well. He had 18 targets, catching 14 of them for 193 yards and a touchdown. Johnson is able to make everyone happy with the ball distribution. That would be great with the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears need to do whatever it takes to make sure they bring Johnson to Chicago. Everyone else should be a backup plan that they don’t want to execute unless all else fails. They are one of the most iconic teams in the league and Ben Johnson is the man who could bring them back to prominence.

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