That Recent Ben Johnson Bears Smoke Just Turned Into Fire

Matt Eberflus is watching his tenure as Chicago Bears head coach starting to crumble. After reaching 4-2 to start the season, he’s been struck with back-to-back devastating losses. First was the Hail Mary defeat in Washington, and then the absolute drubbing in Arizona. Stats coming out of that sequence aren’t kind. Eberflus is 14-28 overall as a head coach, 3-18 on the road, and 6-19 against teams with a record of .500 or better. Plenty of fans are ready to move on, which is why they were excited when Albert Breer of the MMQB mentioned that Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the widely-viewed top head coach candidate in 2025, was eyeing the Bears job last January.

Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado, one of the top national insiders, poured gas on those flames. When asked where Johnson will end up after the current season concludes, Allbright made it pretty clear: If Eberflus is out, Chicago is the job he wants.

Ben Johnson should be at the top of the Bears’ list.

Nothing matters more moving forward than the success of quarterback Caleb Williams. They must find somebody who can elevate him to the status of NFL elite, where he belongs. Johnson has routinely shown over the past three years that he is one of the best offensive minds in professional football. If you don’t believe it, just look at the numbers.

• 2022: 4th in yards and 5th in scoring
• 2023: 3rd in yards and 5th in scoring
• 2024*: 7th in yards and 1st in scoring

The biggest part of this story is Jared Goff. Many wrote the quarterback off as a lost cause when the Los Angeles Rams traded him for Matthew Stafford. In 42 games under Johnson’s guidance, he has thrown for 10,853 yards, 73 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions for a 101.1 passer rating.

If Ben Johnson could get that out of him, there is no telling what he might do for Williams. The path ahead seems straightforward. Chicago hires the coordinator in January and then spends the off-season overhauling the offensive line. If things go as planned, this offense should take a big leap.