Inside: A quick look at what Ben Johnson brings to Chicago, Aaron Glenn in New York and what’s next for Detroit.
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Coaching Carousel: Bears nab Ben Johnson
Yesterday, the Bears landed Lions OC Ben Johnson, arguably the most coveted hire across the past two cycles, as their new head coach. The 38-year-old architect of 2024’s top offense is a massive get for a franchise that has still never had a 4,000-yard passer.
What does Johnson’s hire mean for Chicago? Three immediate thoughts:
1. Players love him. “He was always a guy, when things were hard, that I could confide in,” Jared Goff told The Athletic last year. “If he ever chooses to be a head coach somewhere, players would love him,” said Jahmyr Gibbs in a story I’m about to link to.
2. Yet he upholds standards. In Jon Greenberg’s look at how the Bears got this hire right, Gibbs said Johnson tore into the Lions at halftime because of missed red-zone opportunities. “He’s one of the most intense people you’ll ever meet,” Lions offensive lineman Dan Skipper told ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler, adding that he avoids Johnson during games because “you’re bound to get dog-cussed like nothing you’ve ever been before.”
3. This is great news for Caleb Williams. With Johnson as play-caller, Goff topped that elusive 4,000-yard mark in all three seasons, and this year, set career highs in nearly every counting stat. The famously choosy Johnson’s willingness to tie his future to Williams signals his confidence in the young passer. “There is no question the guy is talented,” he said when asked earlier this season about the division-rival QB.
Ben Johnson couldn’t hold back his smile talking about Caleb Williams. 👀
He knows Caleb is special. This pairing needs to happen. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JMvtuv0J2L
— Bearsszn (@bearssznn) December 20, 2024
What’s next for the new partnership?
Let’s see what we can glean from Dan Pompei’s excellent 2023 profile on Johnson and Goff, which explains a process that might await the Bears’ 23-year-old quarterback soon:
“In about 24 hours over three days, Johnson and Goff sat in a meeting room surrounded by whiteboards. They watched Rams video of Goff from 2019 and 2020, talked, took notes and drew plays with dry-erase markers.
“On the first day, they focused on Goff’s favorite pass and run concepts. The second day was devoted to Rams plays Johnson didn’t completely understand. And on the final day, they brainstormed new directions to take the Lions offense and ways to build on what Goff had already mastered.”
That was prior to the 2022 season, Johnson’s first as offensive coordinator. His approach appears unchanged in principle, as Colton Pouncy recently noted that with Johnson, “It’s a collaborative process, finding out what his players can and can’t do.”
For Goff, three of the most immediate changes during his first season with Johnson were:
- Taking about half as many sacks per game as his previous career average, from two to 1.35.
- Going from 100-plus no-huddle snaps each year under Sean McVay to fewer than 40.
- Increasing play-action dropbacks by 22 percent from the prior season.
In the latter two categories, Chicago’s 2024 scheme was the opposite of Johnson’s:
Chicago’s league-high 68 sacks tell me Williams would surely welcome a similar retailoring.
Johnson will also need to address their offensive line, a unit that lacks in depth and is nowhere near Detroit’s level of talent, though not as awful as most claim.
Per Adam Schefter, the new HC is looking into former Saints HC Dennis Allen as his defensive coordinator, plus Allen’s temporary replacement in New Orleans, Darren Rizzi, to coach special teams.
There’s plenty of work to do. As Kevin Fishbain writes this morning, Johnson is as good a bet as any to succeed.
What’s next for Detroit? That, plus more on the coaching carousel after a quick note from Dianna.
What Dianna’s Hearing: One Lions coordinator gone so far …
The Bears winning the Johnson derby was a surprise to many around the league — the Raiders and Jaguars were making runs. But in the end, for all the talk of personnel, it came down to one thing: the quarterback. Williams is the reason Johnson is the Bears’ head coach.
From the Lions’ perspective, that’s one coordinator down and one to go, and it might not be long before DC Aaron Glenn is officially a head coach. The Jets are meeting with Glenn today, and if all goes as planned for the Jets, Glenn won’t leave the building.
🎧 Today’s “Scoop City” podcast: How all the other dominoes may fall now, including the openings in Dallas and New Orleans (at the 15-minute mark).
Back to you, Jacob.
Eyes on Detroit: ‘Find the next man up’
It’s been a brutal four-day stretch for Dan Campbell. First, he shouldered the blame for Detroit’s shocking upset by the sixth-seeded Commanders. He’s since lost Johnson, and by the end of the day, he might lose Glenn as well.
“My job is to replenish and find the next man up,” said Campbell, per Colton Pouncy. The coach also said he will not allow this to impact the Lions’ Super Bowl window.
Colton shared some potential in-house replacements, which are attractive options, given Campbell’s stated desire to maintain Detroit’s current systems:
- OC: Tanner Engstrand worked with Johnson and Goff as passing game coordinator and has been with the Lions since 2020, while Scottie Montgomery, their assistant head coach/running backs coach, has experience as a play-caller from his time at Maryland.
- DC: Colton writes, “If the Lions go with an internal hire, you have to think [linebackers coach] Kelvin Sheppard would be at the top of the list. He’s a culture-setter like Glenn in many ways and is a proven developer.”
Campbell’s already transformed the culture in Detroit, but replacing two of football’s most coveted coordinators may be his biggest challenge yet.
Around the NFL
The Colts scored former Bengals DC Lou Anarumo. Despite Cincinnati’s awful defensive performance this season, Anarumo was a highly sought coordinator. Why? His reputation as a strong game-planner and the team’s performance in 2021 and 2022, before personnel losses, failed draft picks and lack of development cost him the Bengals job. It’s a solid hire for the Colts.
The Jaguars’ HC search now includes an in-person interview with Buccaneers OC Liam Coen. This season, the 39-year-old helped Baker Mayfield to his best year as a pro and oversaw a top-five scoring offense. They are also interviewing Raiders DC Patrick Graham and former Jets HC Robert Saleh, whom Mike Sando notes would be the comfortable hire for Jacksonville.
Cooper Kupp intends to play in 2025, but it might not be with the Rams. Per Over the Cap, he’ll have a cap hit of $29.7 million next season with just $5 million in guarantees. It’s a heavy price for a player who saw just three targets in each of his final three regular-season games. Jourdan Rodrigue has the latest here.
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(Photo: Mike Mulholland, Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
