As Caleb Williams enters his second season in the NFL, all eyes have been on the organization to find the right man to be his head coach for the foreseeable future. And on Monday, the organization made its decision as to who that man is.
The Detroit Lions fell flat in their Divisional Round matchup against the Washington Commanders. But the offense led by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, was certainly not the problem, as the team ended up putting up 31 points.
The offense of the Lions all season long has been amongst the best in all of football. And it seems like the Bears have been paying close attention to the success of their division rival.
On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Bears had finalized a deal to make Ben Johnson the next head coach of the Bears.
Bear down: Chicago is finalizing a deal to hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as its next head coach, sources tell ESPN. Bears are getting their man. pic.twitter.com/UwlLk3wNJZ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 20, 2025
It’s certainly interesting to see Johnson staying in the division and joining the Bears. Now, Johnson will be going against his former team two times each season.
Clearly, Johnson must have seen something that he liked about Caleb Williams in his rookie season that gives him enough confidence that he can work with him and help him grow into an elite-level NFL quarterback.
On top of bringing in Johnson, the Bears also found their new defensive coordinator. Former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen will also be joining the organization and running the defense moving forward.
Ben Johnson has been busy assembling a star-studded coaching staff. The leading candidate to become his defensive coordinator in Chicago is former Saints HC Dennis Allen, per league sources. pic.twitter.com/iJCbMLJSLe
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 20, 2025
Only time will tell whether this move will turn the Bears into a contender quickly. Or perhaps it will be a bit of a longer rebuild process than originally anticipated in Chicago.
Either way, it certainly seems like a smart move on paper to bring in a great offensive mind in Ben Johnson to mentor someone with as much talent as Caleb Williams moving forward.