Maybe the Hank Fraley dream isn’t dead.
I thought this exchange featuring ESPN NFL and Chicago Bears reporter Courtney Cronin was interesting:
Earlier in the week, it sounded like Hank Fraley won’t be joining Ben Johnson in Chicago. But maybe things are changing to the point where there is still a sliver of hope it can happen.
UPDATE (4:11 p.m. CT) — It’s over:
Part of me is still stunned this team pulled off hiring the most coveted head coach candidate on the market. Historically, we’re used to getting a list of underwhelming (or off-the-radar) list of candidates before final interviews and the selection of a ‘meh’ option. Not this time, though. This time, they came away with Ben Johnson. And it was the correct decision.
Now comes the fun part. We have our guy, but how will he fill out his staff?
The defensive coordinator hire is probably the biggest decision. And early leaks have former Saints Defensive Coordinator and Head Coach Dennis Allen as the leader in the clubhouse for that job (which would be great). Allen knows defense and has head coach experience. Plus, if Sean Payton thinks you know football, I’m not going to disagree.
As for the offensive coordinator hire … It probably isn’t quite as important as the DC decision, as Ben Johnson will be the play-caller and this will be his offense (that’s why he was hired). But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still choices that can make a bigger impact than others. To that end, the one name out there that should make fans excited is Hank Fraley.
Hank Fraley Should Be Bears Top OC Target
Fraley has been the Lions’ offensive line coach since 2020 and has overseen arguably the top offensive line in football for the past two seasons. While Detroit certainly has some dudes up front, a good offensive line coach makes a massive difference.
One early report from Fox Sports’ Carmen Vitali has Chicago’s football team as the frontrunner to land Fraley. Check out this video (h/t Twitter/X) for more on that:
“I think that’s a foregone conclusion in Detroit, that Hank (Fraley) is going to go with Ben.”
– @CarmieV discussing a potential Bears OC hire on @CHGO_Bears 👀#DaBears pic.twitter.com/akQ6fIakN0— Chicago Bears Updates (@chbearsupdates) January 21, 2025
As we know, the offensive line was Chicago’s biggest issue in 2024 and will be by far their biggest need to address this offseason. While that (likely) means new personnel, it also means bringing in an OL coach that’s seen as one of the best in the game. While this team was lacking a bit in talent on the interior of their offensive line this year, coaching was a huge issue. Just about every week we saw day-one mistakes being made that should have been nipped in the bud in training camp, let alone lingering midseason. Theoretically, that’s the sort of issue Fraley is tailor-made to address.
Will it happen? That’s to be determined. Fraley coming with Ben Johnson is a perfectly reasonable expected outcome, but far from guaranteed. For example, if Dan Campbell were to promote Fraley to OC in Detroit, then he’d probably stay. However, there haven’t been any whispers of that yet. Fraley did reportedly interview with the Seahawks for their vacant offensive coordinator position yesterday, but no hire has been made there either.
Likewise, it’s also possible that while Hank Fraley is a phenomenal offensive line coach, he’s not quite ready to be a full-on offensive coordinator. If that’s the case, two disparate scenarios could follow: (1) He stays in Detroit and picks up a big raise, or (2) He takes an offensive coordinator title in Chicago (with the guy he’s had the most success in his coaching career) to build his resume. While he wouldn’t be calling plays in either scenario, taking that OC job in Chicago would certainly give him more experience building an offense and could set him up for bigger roles in the future (all while still getting to do what he does best, which is coach the offensive line).
We’ll see what Hank Fraley wants to do. I think choosing to join Ben Johnson here would be a massive win for Chicago, but also probably be the best move for his coaching career if he’s unable to land a true, play-calling offensive coordinator job elsewhere.