Ben Johnson: Chicago Bears hire Detroit Lions offensive coordinator as new head coach | NFL news
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is set to be announced as the new head coach of the Chicago Bears, according to multiple reports.
Johnson was one of at least 17 candidates for the role and will take over a Bears team that finished at the bottom of the NFC North this season, despite winning four of its first six games.
Chicago (5-12) has lost 10 straight after a promising start, including a 23-20 loss at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day that led to the firing of coach Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29 and led to Thomas Brown becoming the interim coach for the rest of the season . .
Johnson spent three seasons as Detroit’s offensive coordinator under Dan Campbell and helped turn Jared Goff into one of the NFL’s best running backs, and the 38-year-old is considered the best head coaching candidate on the market.
Bears have confirmed interviews with 17 candidates. That list included former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who got the New England Patriots head coaching job.
Johnson ready for Bears challenge
The Lions went 15-2 as the top seed in the NFC before being upset by Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in a divisional playoff game on Saturday. Detroit led the league in scoring per game and finished second in passing yards and total yards per game during the regular season.
The development of running back Caleb Williams will be a top priority for Johnson after the Bears’ fourth straight losing season. The No. 1 pick in last year’s draft threw for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. But he was sacked a franchise-record and league-leading 68 times.
Johnson spoke highly of Williams before the Lions faced the Bears in Week 16, saying, “There’s no question this guy is talented. I remember standing on the sideline last game and you could hear the ball whizzing past you.
“He’s got a pretty quick ball and he’s got some creativity, he can extend the game and he’s accurate down the field as well. Like I said, I didn’t really dig in and I can tell you a lot more than that, but he was impressive from long range.”
Chicago has only made three playoff appearances since the team won the NFC in 2006, while their only Super Bowl title came during the 1985 season. The Bears have not won a postseason game since the team advanced to the conference title game in 2010 under Lovie Smith.
The Bears entered this season in pursuit of a playoff spot after making several significant offseason moves, highlighted by the arrival of Williams and a major trade with the Los Angeles Chargers for six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Their season went off the rails after a 4-2 start, prompting them to fire a head coach for the first time during the season when they fired Eberflus after a series of bad decisions late in the game. They also fired an offensive coordinator for the second time in less than a year, with Shane Waldron lasting just nine games after replacing Luke Getsy.
Brown, who began the season as the interim game coordinator, took over for Waldron and then became the interim coach a few weeks later. He achieved his only victory as a head coach against the Green Bay Packers in the last game of the regular season.
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