The Chicago Bears have a new leader on the sidelines. On Jan. 22, the team formally introduced Ben Johnson as the 19th full-time head coach in franchise history.
Johnson, former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, was widely speculated to join the Bears this offseason, and the team was quick to sign the play-caller just three days after the Lions’ season ended in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Fans, including many students at DePaul, are optimistic that Johnson can help revive the offense — and the team as a whole.
“When I heard the news I was so excited …. I’m excited just to see the offense grow,” first-year Oscar Nevarez said, donning a knit Bears cap.
Now taking command of the Bears — who have finished in the bottom half of the NFL in points scored in each of the past six seasons — Johnson is tasked with reinventing a team that disappointed in 2024 while building up former first-overall pick and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams.
“I was so excited,” first-year Daraun Hughes said. “This is going to really push Caleb to his highest potential.”
Freshman Henry Yagmin agreed: “I feel like Ben Johnson’s got ‘it.’ He could definitely make Caleb better.”
Johnson, 38, has 13 years of NFL coaching experience. A popular head coach candidate in each of the last two off-seasons, Johnson enjoyed perhaps his best campaign this past fall, helping the Lions finish with the most offensive points (564) and second most offensive yards (6,962) in the league.
At Johnson’s introductory press conference, which Williams and other Bears players attended, the new coach looked at his new quarterback and said “Caleb, I’m excited to work with you.”
Williams, 23, had a strong first season, finishing the year with over 4,000 total yards and 20 touchdowns — both franchise rookie records. Despite having his offensive coordinator and head coach fired during the season, Williams’ play and potential were leading factors in Johnson’s selection of Chicago.
“The expectation for next season is the playoffs. I really want to see more playoff experience and a Super Bowl in the future,” Nevarez said, pointing out that the team’s last playoff win came in at the end of the 2010-11 season.
Yagmin said making the playoffs would be “a step up.”
Hughes said the team may still be a season or two away from postseason contention.
“I’ve learned to not get too high on expectations,” he said. “Realistically, [a] 9-8 [record] or 10-7 is a good [goal] for the team. I feel like our floor is 7-10 and the ceiling is 12-5. It’s still year two of a kind of rebuild.”
The upcoming 2025 season will mark not only Johnson’s first as head coach, but also the 40th anniversary of the Chicago Bears’ 1985 team, a group that went 15-1 en route to the franchise’s first and only Super Bowl championship.
Johnson will be the first full-time head coach in franchise history to be born after the Bears’ dominant Super Bowl XX win, perhaps indicating that the historic team is trying to turn the page to a younger, more innovative offensive philosophy as opposed to the more traditional defensive identities of years past.
Johnson echoed the need for a fast start in his press conference. “Our mission, starting this spring, is to win, and win now.”
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