Ben Johnson Just Lost His Most Obvious Declan Doyle Replacement
Ben Johnson always knew there would be a time he’d lose Declan Doyle to a job elsewhere. The young assistant was highly regarded in NFL circles even before joining the Chicago Bears. He probably just never thought it would happen this quickly. After one season, helping the team reach the playoffs and turn Caleb Williams into a legitimate franchise quarterback, Doyle was poached by the Baltimore Ravens. He will become the latest to oversee Lamar Jackson’s superstar career. As for Johnson, he’s left with a dilemma.
It felt like there was an obvious replacement for Doyle waiting in the wings after the New York Jets fired offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. He’d worked with Johnson for years in Detroit. A reunion felt easy to see coming. However, it appears the Bears were intercepted before that could happen. Engstrand signed on with the Atlanta Falcons as their new passing game coordinator, joining former Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Ben Johnson now faces an interesting decision.
With Engstrand out of the picture, the options for the next offensive coordinator become more uncertain. The quickest solution is promoting someone on the staff. Quarterback coach J.T. Barrett and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El feel like obvious choices. Tight ends coach Jim Dray is another possibility. If Johnson prefers to bring in an outside voice, then it gets murky. Could he try plucking from Dan Campbell’s staff in Detroit? That seems unlikely after a supposed agreement that he wouldn’t.
He could go back to the Sean Payton tree again, having gotten Doyle from there last year. Davis Webb is a hot commodity at the moment. Maybe Ben Johnson tries dipping his toes into that pool. John Morton, who he tried luring from USC last year before Detroit got him, is now in Denver. Joe Lombardi was just fired by the Broncos as a scapegoat for the AFC Championship loss despite not calling plays. Or Johnson could bypass all of that to venture into the great unknown. With the Senior Bowl over, it’s possible we see a resolution within the week.