Ben Johnson has been on the list of just about every NFL team that had a head-coaching vacancy recently. Finally, Johnson is making his move.
The Chicago Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Johnson as their next head coach, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Per the report, Johnson is targeting former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen as his defensive coordinator.
That’s huge news for Caleb Williams. The first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft had an up-and-down rookie season with a coaching staff that was in over its head. Matt Eberflus was fired after a bad Thanksgiving loss to the Lions, clearing the way to land Johnson, a hot name in NFL circles the past couple years. Williams flashed the talent that made him the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, and now with Johnson bringing his offensive acumen to Chicago he has a much better chance for success moving forward.
The Bears were able to hire Johnson after the Lions lost to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round. Other teams, particularly the Las Vegas Raiders, were also interested in hiring Johnson so the Bears had to act fast. They ended up landing Johnson less than 48 hours after the Lions season ended.
Johnson, who is 38 years old, quickly made a name for himself as he worked up the NFL coaching ladder. He spent seven seasons on the Miami Dolphins’ staff (Dan Campbell was part of that staff when Johnson was there) and then moved to the Lions. In Detroit he worked up from offensive quality control coach to tight ends coach to passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator over the course of five seasons. Then in his three seasons as Lions offensive coordinator he became the hottest name among NFL assistants as a future head coach.
Last offseason Johnson was getting interviews but decided to stay with the Lions for at least another season, running their offense. Detroit scored 564 points this season, which led the NFL, and the Lions got the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Johnson was a popular name again in the head-coaching interview cycle. Chicago had to look at the stats Jared Goff put up with Johnson calling plays and project him doing the same with Williams and a talented cast of offensive skill-position players like receivers D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze.
Teams were looking for a Sean McVay-type of hire when they were courting Johnson, hoping to get a young offensive guru who hadn’t yet had a chance to be a head coach. His work with the Lions, getting fantastic production out of Goff with a balanced offense that was dominant in the passing and running game, was impressive. Johnson had to like what he saw out of Williams to take the Bears job when he had several suitors.
Whether Johnson can make a successful transition to being a head coach is unknown, of course. But Johnson will get his shot to make an even bigger name for himself. The Bears hope that Johnson’s legacy will end up being how he got greatness out of Williams.
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