LAKE FOREST, Ill. — In the aftermath of the Detroit Lions' loss in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, it didn't take long for Ben Johnson to realize where he wanted to continue his career.
From Johnson's view as Detroit's offensive coordinator from 2022 to '24, the Chicago Bears were a «sleeping giant.» As he game-planned for his NFC North opponents in each of the past three seasons, no team in the division, Johnson said, gave him concern more than Chicago.
And of course, the offensive setup within the organization he'll be tasked with guiding past a disastrous 5-12 finish was particularly intriguing because of Caleb Williams.
«Having a quarterback helps,» Johnson said with a smile.
Johnson, 38, was introduced Wednesday at Halas Hall as the 19th head coach in the Bears' 105-year history. After architecting an offense that led the Lions to the NFC's No. 1 seed and helped quarterback Jared Goff record three consecutive 4,000-yard seasons and a 64 Total QBR in 51 regular-season starts (Goff's best under any of his six offensive playcallers), Johnson is now tasked with doing the same for Williams.
Just don't expect Chicago's offense to be a carbon copy of what he ran in Detroit.
«There's no doubt Caleb played a large component into my decision,» Johnson said. «He is a phenomenal talent that had — as many quarterbacks do — an up-and-down rookie year. Where I see my role is as a supporter of him. This offense will be calibrated with him in mind. We're going to build this thing. This is not simply a dropping of a previous playbook down on the table and starting there. Nope, we're ripping this thing down to the studs, and we're going to build it out with him first and foremost, and then with the pieces around him next.»
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