The Chicago Bears’ head coaching search ended Monday afternoon, as the team hired Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, following an unexpected lost on Saturday night to the Washington Commander.
The massive upset loss eliminated Detroit from the playoffs and allowed Chicago to freely negotiate with Johnson, who was the most sought-after head coaching candidate in the NFL.
With the Bears and general manager Ryan Poles decision to hire the most sought-after play-caller as the team’s next head coach, the promising offensive-minded play-caller will be vastly different from the last time the franchise hired someone with an offensive background.
Ben Johnson and Matt Nagy are separated by offensive success built on consistency
In January of 2018, then Bears’ general manager Ryan Pace decided to hire Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who was seen as one of the up-and-coming offensive minds in the NFL. Pace’s desire was to hire a head coach that would be able to fully develop Mitchell Trubisky into an elite-level quarterback and provide sustained offensive success to Chicago. Similar to Pace, current general manager Ryan Poles is looking to do the same with Caleb Williams, with many NFL analysts believing that Ben Johnson is the best candidate to achieve that goal.
Similar to Nagy’s hiring, Johnson’s current team unexpectedly lost a playoff game that the team was favored in that has raised some concerns. The Chiefs lost after leading the Tennessee Titans by 18 points, where many questioned the play-caller in-game decision and not running the ball in the second half. For Johnson, there are questions as to why quarterback Jared Goff played so poorly on Saturday night against the Commanders, turning the ball over four times.
Although there might be concerns about Johnson being a head coach, Saturday’s loss should not be an indictment against the coordinator, as his resume is vastly different from Nagy’s. The former Bears’ head coach had served as offensive play-caller for five games at the end of 2017, as he had been the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach for several years prior. Ben Johnson on the other hand has served as Detroit’s offensive play-caller the last three seasons, with the offense finishing as a top five unit each of those three years.
Another aspect that makes the two offensive play-callers different from one another is their offensive scheme and how they operate. One of Nagy’s most glaring weaknesses during his time as the Bears’ head coach was his inability to operate outside of Andy Reid’s offensive scheme, as several of Chicago’s quarterbacks needed to have familiarity with playing in Reid’s scheme before. With Johnson, Detroit’s offensive play-caller isn’t tied to any specific scheme and has demonstrated an ability to adjust his play-calling not only to match the strength of his players, but to counteract opposing defensive schemes.
Despite the loss on Saturday to the Commanders, Johnson demonstrated something that Nagy failed at doing during tenure with the Bears, which was in-game adaptation to how the contest was flowing. Following an interception return for a touchdown thrown by Goff, the Lions’ quarterback was sideline for an offensive series while being tested for a concussion. Even with a backup quarterback in, Ben Johnson schemed up an offensive drive that resulted in a touchdown when the team was in desperate need of a score to keep the contest close at a crucial time.
Nagy’s inability to adapt and adjust was his greatest downfall. There were key moments in multiple games where Chicago’s offense couldn’t come up with a needed score or a big play to change momentum. One of the more attractive aspects to Johnson’s play-calling has been a repeated ability for the Lions offense to score quickly or off a surprise play to get back into a contest or keep momentum in their favor. where Nagy’s struggled with repetitiveness and a failure to go to off script when needed, Ben Johnson’s desire to be unpredictable has made his offensive scheme immensely hard to gameplan against.
Ben Johnson’s ability to develop his quarterback is what will set him apart from Matt Nagy
What will set the two offensive head coaches apart will be their capability to develop the first-round quarterback they were hired to develop in an elite-level talent. Pace envisioned Nagy coaching Trubisky into a top-level signal-caller similar to what Sean McVay had done for Goff one year prior. Poles has hired Ben Johnson to fully maximize Williams’ potential, as the 2024 first overall selection is expected to be a generational talent in the near future.
Pace’s goal for Nagy never came to fruition because of the head coach’s inability to adjust his offensive scheme to highlight the strengths of his second-year quarterback in Trubisky. As the coaching tenure progress, there was less of a desire to work with the 2017 second overall selection, resulting Chicago having to bring in other signal-callers, such as Nick Foles, Andy Dalton, and Justin Fields. Each quarterback had their own failures with the offensive scheme, and Nagy’s stubbornness to adjust his offensive scheme in even the slightest bit was never seen, eventually leading to his firing.
Johnson’s is being hired because of how he developed a cast off in Goff into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, despite being traded away by McVay in the Matthew Stafford trade. The Lions Pro Bowl signal-caller credits his career rejuvenation to Ben Johnson and the coordinator’s flexibility to adjust an offensive scheme to highlight the best traits for the passer. It is expected that the offensive scheme will be tailored to the strengths of Williams, including more deep throws downfield, something that the rookie struggled with throughout 2024.
The Bears will have known if they made the right hire with Johnson if Williams, in 2025, exceeds in areas of his own game where he struggled in 2024. That includes footwork and being able to get the ball out quicker to avoid sacks. Ben Johnson, whether trying to dial up deep throws or short throws, will make it a point to try to get the ball out as quick as possible.
On Monday, the Chicago Bears did the unthinkable and landed the best head coaching candidate available with the hiring of Ben Johnson. There will be skepticism from a small portion of the fanbase and media due to fear of the team hiring another first-time offensive minded head coach, especially with what transpired with Nagy. However, Johnson has already proven that he is vastly different from the play-caller that was hired back in January of 2018, as the Lions’ play-caller has a proven resume of success and flexibility.
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