Motor City to Windy City: Chicago Bears Welcome New Head Coach

By: Anthony Tirado

The Chicago Bears have officially signed their new head coach, Ben Johnson, to a $13 million per year contract. Johnson is the seventh highest-paid coach in the NFL. 

Ben Johnson was an offensive coordinator from 2022-24 for the Detroit Lions. He helped create an astonishing offense which was the first team in NFL history to record 1,000 scrimmage yards in a season with two wide receivers and two running backs. 

Throughout Johnons position, he has never fallen below fifth in points or yards. In 2024 the Lions finished second in passing yards and fourth in touchdowns despite ranking just 16th in pass attempts, which shows how effective Johnson's scheme is even without passing the ball as much. 

The new contract gives hope to Bears fans at Wilbur Wright College after an underwhelming season with Caleb Williams and Matthew Eberflus. “Caleb Williams can move, but has to start working his offensive line better,” said Max Lemus, a Business Management major.

Illustration by Tito

The Bear's offensive line has been one of the main concerns, it heavily deals with injuries, inconsistent plays, and the lack of depth in the chart. The offensive line was ranked near the bottom in both pass protection and run blocking at 24th out of the 32 teams.

“I'm very excited because Ben Johnson is going to build that offensive line which is horrible,” said Joshua Rodas, a nursing major. “Be there for Caleb because when Caleb has a pocket magic happens.” 

Johnson has shown he can work well with a quarterback and an offensive line. He designed trick plays and ran play-action during the divisional round lost vs. the Commanders with 521 yards of offense. 

“Johnson could help our offense because this year they've been atrocious,” said Samuel Singleton, a criminal justice major. “After the second quarter, you had to turn off the TV because they were either losing by 20 or throwing screens every other play.” 

Bears general manager, Ryan Poles, announced they will be improving the offensive line through the draft scouting Tyler Brooker. 

The Bears are pursuing top veteran offensive lineman, Guard Trey Smith to help mentor and perform. He has played the third-most snaps among guards over the past four regular seasons, and his 78.0 PFF overall grade ranks him 10th next to other guards.

There is high hope in Chicago and on Wilbur Wright Campus that Johnson will bring a new offensive style that Bears fans haven't seen in a while. 

Johnson has a steady promise for the Bears, to break records by promising a quarterback who would pass for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, which Chicago has never seen before. 

Bears fans are excited for a new era with an offensive-minded head coach. The next couple of months will be important for the future of the Chicago Bears.