Ben Johnson wasted little time making sweeping changes to the Chicago Bears organization after stepping in as head coach. But his bread and butter, and what all fans will be watching, is how Johnson elevates Chicago’s offense.
The Bears finished the 2024 campaign ranked dead last in total offense, averaging just 284.6 yards per game. In turn, the Detroit Lions – who Johnson was the offensive coordinator of – ranked second in total offense, averaging 409.5 yards per game. It’ll take time to elevate the Bears offense to the top of the league, but Johnson has at least proven he knows how to get there.
One area the Lions excelled at under Johnson was the play-action formation. As the head coach begins his tenure with the Bears, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell expects Chicago’s play-action play calls to rise drastically.
“Bears fans are ready to see new coach Ben Johnson reimagine their offense. One thing I strongly suspect we’ll see from the former Lions offensive coordinator is a heavy dose of play-action,” Barnwell wrote. “In 2024, Detroit’s Jared Goff threw just under 36% of his attempts with a play-fake attached, the highest rate for any quarterback. Caleb Williams and the Bears, meanwhile, used play-action on only 18.5% of their dropbacks, which was the league’s third-lowest rate.”
Ben Johnson’s offense principles
Johnson will be coming up with an entirely different offensive gameplan for the Bears. However, he won’t fix what isn’t broken. There are areas that Johnson’s teams excelled in, and Chicago must attempt to emulate that throughout his tenure.
For starters, the head coach’s offense has always been built around strong offensive line play. The Bears did not have that in 2024, allowing a league-high 68 sacks. However, upon Johnson’s arrival Chicago traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson before signing center Drew Dalman. The new interior should give Johnson and Williams solid footing to work with.
Furthermore, Detroit ran the ball heavily in 2024 with both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery earning at least 185 carries. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson may not possess the same potential, but they’ll both be counting on heavily to set the offensive tone.
Then there’s the passing game, which is what the Lions became known for. Both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams broke 1,000 yards passing in 2024 while Sam LaPorta joined them in having at least seven touchdowns. The Bears have loaded their roster with talented receivers to help revolutionize the passing attack.
Johnson knew that fixing the Bears would be a mountain of a challenge. How it was one he was prepared to tackle. Now it’s up to the head coach to tie together all loose ends of Chicago Bears.
Chicago Bears build play-action core
Speaking of the Bears adding pass catchers, Chicago’s offseason moves play right into a heavier play-action gameplan. With numerous players possessing tremendous after-the-catch potential, Johnson has plenty of intriguing tools to work with.
“The Bears added players this offseason who would aid the play-action game. They moved on from Keenan Allen and replaced him with rookie second-round pick Luther Burden, who was one of the best receivers at generating yards after the catch in this draft class,” Barnwell wrote. “Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles used the No. 10 pick on Colston Loveland, whose ability as a “move” tight end should allow the Bears to line up in 12 personnel more often.”
DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet was already a solid offensive core. But adding Luther Burden and Colston Loveland to the mix only makes Chicago more dangerous. It may be difficult for each player to shine in the box score consistently, but the Bears should be much more dynamic on offense overall.
Johnson’s new offense will be under a microscope throughout the offseason. One of the tendencies fans and analysts will be looking for is just how often Williams is in play-action.
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