NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears will have a new head coach in 2025. And like the team that fired Matt Eberflus on Black Friday, we’re getting an early start on the search with this series that will profile potential head coaches for the franchise that resides at Halas Hall.
We’re kicking off our series of profiles of candidates for the Chicago Bears head coaching job with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. With a long list of names linked to the Bears in one capacity or another, starting with the most attractive candidate makes too much sense.
Johnson is the architect of one of the NFL’s most dominant offenses. Detroit ranks second in the league in yardage, averaging 395.2 yards per game, with 240.8 of that coming through the air and another 154.4 on the ground.
Johnson’s unit ranks 4th in EPA, 2nd in EPA/Pass, and 7th in EPA/Rush. They’re the motor behind the NFC’s best record and primed to make their second straight NFC Championship appearance this season under Johnson’s guidance on the offensive side of the football.
If the Chicago Bears ever wanted to be on the right side of history and get with the times, there is no better situation that they’ll face in a month when they have a chance to pair their franchise quarterback with one of the game’s best offensive minds and play-callers since he stepped into the role three years ago (and, hey, it doesn’t hurt to take him away from the Lions, right?).
Let’s take some time to learn a little bit about Ben Johnson today.
Ben Johnson’s Coaching History
- Offensive Coordinator, Detroit Lions (2022-Present)
- Passing Game Coordinator, Detroit Lions (2021)
- Tight Ends Coach, Detroit Lions (2020-21)
- Offensive QC Coach, Detroit Lions (2019)
- Wide Receivers Coach, Miami Dolphins (2018)
- Assistant Wide Receivers Coach, Miami Dolphins (2016-17)
- Tight Ends Coach, Miami Dolphins (2015)
- Assistant Quarterbacks Coach, Miami Dolphins (2013-15)
- Offensive Assistant, Miami Dolphins (2012)
- Tight Ends Coach, Boston College (2011)
- Graduate Assistant, Boston College (2009-10)
Ben Johnson’s Coaching Origins and Influences
When discussing potential coaching candidates, the “coaching tree” is always at the forefront of the conversation, especially for unproven head coaching candidates who have called plays on only one side of the ball or another for a limited amount of time. Knowing what school of thought these up-and-comers came from helps us get a feel for what they might do when they’re handed the keys to the car.
For Ben Johnson, the answer is much more complicated than the “Shanahan Tree” or something similar. Johnson has crossed paths with many since becoming a graduate assistant at Boston College in 2009. His experience with NFL minds began while riding the pine as a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina, where his offensive coordinators included his eventual boss at Boston College and one-time Bears offensive coordinator John Schoop.
In a terrific story by Justin Rogers of The Detroit News in September of 2023, Johnson points to Schoop as the reason he was drawn to coaching shortly after his uneventful collegiate career at North Carolina. Johnson also credits Gary Tranquill, who gave him his first job at Boston College. Johnson called Tranquil a no-nonsense football coach who demanded perfection from his players. Tranquil’s career includes time working under Nick Saban and Bill Belichick, two of the most successful football coaches of all time.
Since departing Boston College for the Miami Dolphins and, eventually, the Detroit Lions, Johnson has crossed paths with many offensive minds in football. Still, there’s no one arrow to point to for Johnson, whose best trait is his adaptability and desire to continue to evolve his offense every season. That’s a page out of the Andy Reid book. Reid, one of the most innovative offensive minds in the history of football, has sustained success for decades because his offense is ever-evolving. Johnson values that and has modeled his offense after that.
Schematically, Johnson’s offense consists of tight formations and multiple looks from the same look coupled with clear and concise direction that allowed the Lions’ offense to play fast (which is the style of offense that Caleb Williams has thrived in this season). But most importantly, Johnson’s bag of tricks features player and coach input. In Rogers’ story, Johnson details how his playbook features ideas and concepts from tight end coach Steve Heiden, who worked under Bruce Arians and Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona.
While his offense borrows from many, it’s his—and, more specifically, the team’s. He urges his players to take ownership of that and do what they do better than anyone.
“All I really want is for our coaches and our players to take ownership that it’s ours, it’s us and it’s what do we do the best,” Johnson said in the Rogers story. “That’s what we’re going to major in, and we have to find ways to keep defenses honest and on their toes as much as we can.”
How does Ben Johnson fit (or not) the Chicago Bears plans in 2025 and beyond?
The Chicago Bears have finally gotten the quarterback position right. Now, they must pair him with a head coach who maximizes his potential. Johnson is the hottest name when it comes to up-and-coming offensive minds, making him a strong candidate to do so.
Johnson has been the Lions’ offensive coordinator for three seasons and play-caller the entire time. He’s experienced and has had success in Detroit. More success than some give him credit for, as a matter of fact. During his first season as Detroit’s offensive coordinator, Johnson led the Lions to a 40 percent increase in year-over-year scoring, and that’s when Detroit had Jamaal Williams as their lead back and DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds, and Amon-Ra St. Brown as a rookie wide receiver.
There’s also this: Jared Goff came to Detroit as a quarterback the Rams saw as disposable, someone with whom they couldn’t win a Super Bowl. Since joining the Lions, Goff has upped his completion percentage by four points, thrown for only seven fewer touchdowns than he did in FIVE seasons with the Rams, slashed his interception rate by nearly a half-point, and raised his passer rating by almost seven points.
Johnson has overseen career years from many Lions players, present and past, who have departed for lucrative paydays based on their success in his offense.
There’s zero doubt that Johnson is one of the brightest offensive minds in football. The fit, at least schematically, is a no-brainer layup even the McCaskeys shouldn’t be able to screw up.
One Big Question
Can Ben Johnson be the offensive mastermind the Bears need and the “leader of men” they want?
The only question that remains is whether Johnson can do it all—design and oversee the offense, call plays, and simultaneously assume the entire roster’s CEO role. It’s a fair question that we won’t have an answer to until he can do so. But then again, that was the case for every first-time head coach, regardless of their background or specialty.
That question won’t stop someone from hiring him as their head coach. It didn’t stop the Carolina Panthers, who heavily pursued him in 2023, or the Washington Commanders, who did so in 2024 before Johnson decided twice that he had unfinished business in Detroit.
If that question is a deal-breaker for the Chicago Bears, they’re more foolish than we give them credit for. Ben Johnson is the no-brainer hire—if he wants the job. We’ll profile all the names that might make their way to Halas Hall for an interview, but they’ll all be considered consolation prizes if Chicago doesn’t land Johnson.
My final two cents: If I asked you whether or not you would take Dan Campbell as the next head coach of the Chicago Bears, I’m willing to wager my salary (and then some), and the answer would be yes. The logic would be that he is a leader and a motivator. So why do we assume his offensive coordinator, who has worked with him for years, wouldn’t share some of that fire and presence?
If you’re going to give a head coach candidate a chance to answer the question of whether or not they can be the offensive mastermind and leader of men the franchise needs and desires, who better than Johnson, who’s proven the first half and comes from the poster child for the latter?
The answer is no one.
Don’t screw this up, Chicago.
