Chicago Bears v Detroit Lions
Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images
Week 1 is finally here and with it comes the official start of the long-anticipated Ben Johnson era in Chicago. Even before Johnson was hired as the Head Coach of the Bears, fans couldn’t help but imagine what his offensive creativity could do with the players on the Bears’ roster. Now that we’ve had teases throughout training camp and preseason, it’s time to turn our attention toward what this group of playmakers will actually put together in the year ahead. That’s why I’m introducing a weekly series dedicated not only to tracking the production of the Bears’ key offensive players this season, but also directly comparing their production to a player from Johnson’s past. So, before a single snap is played, let’s do some table-setting in this preview edition of Benchmarking Da Bears
Quarterback
Caleb Williams
Comp: 2022 Jared Goff
Chicago Bears v Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions v Carolina Panthers
Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images and Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images
Benchmark Statistics:
### Games ### Starts ### Completions ### Pass Attempts ### Completion % ### Pass Yards ### Pass TDs ### INTs ### Pass Y/A ### Pass Y/G ### Pass Rating ### Sacks ### Rush Attempts ### Rush Yards ### Rush TDs ### Rush Y/A ### Rush Y/G ### QBR ### Fumbles ### Awards
17 17 382 587 65.1% 4438 29 7 7.6 261.1 99.3 23 29 73 - 2.5 4.3 63.3 7 Pro Bowl
Ben Johnson took over as the Lions’ Offensive Coordinator in 2022, so naturally we’ll look to Jared Goff’s first season working with Ben as our point of comparison for Caleb Williams this season. This obviously isn’t a 1:1 as Goff entered 2022 at an entirely different stage of his career than Williams will enter 2025 in, however, it’ll ultimately be this version of Goff that will serve as the benchmark for fellow number one overall pick. That said, I think most Bears fans would be ecstatic for Williams to have this kind of production in his second season.
Running Backs
D’Andre Swift
Comp: 2022 D’Andre Swift
Getty Images and Getty Images
Benchmark Statistics:
### Games ### Starts ### Rush Attempts ### Rush Yards ### Rush TDs ### Rush Y/A ### Rush Y/G ### Targets ### Receptions ### Rec Yards ### Rec Y/R ### Rec TDs ### R/G ### Rec Y/G ### Fumbles ### Awards
14 8 99 542 5 5.5 38.7 70 48 389 8.1 3 3.4 27.8 1 -
This was obvious. As the only player on this list who has actually played in Ben Johnson’s offense previously, D’Andre Swift can best be compared to himself. This is especially true when considering how disappointing the 2022 season was for Swift, who saw himself slide down the depth chart behind Jamaal Williams, who carried the ball to the tune of a thousand-yard season. Swift will be looking for redemption this season as he reunites with Johnson.
Roschon Johnson, Kyle Monangai, etc.
Comp: 2024 David Montgomery
DeFodi Images via Getty Images and Getty Images
Benchmark Statistics:
### Games ### Starts ### Rush Attempts ### Rush Yards ### Rush TDs ### Rush Y/A ### Rush Y/G ### Targets ### Receptions ### Rec Yards ### Rec Y/R ### Rec TDs ### R/G ### Rec Y/G ### Fumbles ### Awards
14 14 185 775 12 4.2 55.4 38 36 341 9.5 - 2.6 24.4 2 -
Swift’s diminishing performance in Detroit saw him depart after the 2022 season with his replacement coming in the form of former Bear, David Montgomery. While Monty has been very impressive as one half of the Lions’ two back tandem alongside Jahmyr Gibbs, injuries slowed him last season. This comparison is sure to be the loftiest, and so we are going to be creative and group the Bears’ expected RB2 AND RB3 (and/or others) together to see how their production can hold up to what Montgomery was able to do last season.
Tight Ends
Comp: 2021 T.J. Hockenson
NFL: Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears
Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports and NurPhoto via Getty Images
Benchmark Statistics:
### Games ### Starts ### Targets ### Receptions ### Rec Yards ### Rec Y/R ### Rec TDs ### R/G ### Rec Y/G ### Fumbles ### Awards
12 12 84 61 583 9.6 4 5.1 48.6 - -
The pass-catchers are where things really get interesting and that starts with the tight end room. Many are excited to see what rookie Colston Loveland can do, but Cole Kmet still has a lot to offer both Loveland and Caleb Williams as the young players develop. For his comparable player, I’m going to go beyond Ben Johnson’s OC days to when he was serving as the Lions’ TEs Coach under Anthony Lynn. Kmet was a hard fit to find since his role is much more significant than Brock Wright’s, but we’re obviously keeping the LaPorta comparison saved for Loveland.
Colston Loveland
Comp: 2023 Sam LaPorta
Getty Images and Getty Images
Benchmark Statistics:
### Games ### Starts ### Targets ### Receptions ### Rec Yards ### Rec Y/R ### Rec TDs ### R/G ### Rec Y/G ### Fumbles ### Awards
17 14 120 86 889 10.3 10 5.1 52.3 - Pro Bowl
As mentioned above, I definitely wanted to save the Sam LaPorta comparison for Colston Loveland as many have already referenced what the rookie may be capable of doing in the role previously occupied by LaPorta in Ben Johnson’s offense. 2023 was LaPorta’s rookie year as well, so this will serve to be as close of a comparison as we may have available to us this season (minus Swift, of course).
Wide Receivers
Comp: 2024 Amon-Ra St. Brown
NFL: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions v Chicago Bears
Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images and Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images
Benchmark Statistics:
### Games ### Starts ### Targets ### Receptions ### Rec Yards ### Rec Y/R ### Rec TDs ### R/G ### Rec Y/G ### Fumbles ### Awards
17 17 141 115 1263 11.0 12 6.8 74.3 1 ”Pro Bowl
Now we’ll look to see if the Bears’ receiver corps can produce at a level similar to those in Detroit. Under the guidance of not only Ben Johnson, but also Antwaan Randle El, that will be a key to the offensive success of this team. DJ Moore is up first and if he is going to prove himself as a true #1 target this year, there’s no option for comparison other than Amon-Ra St. Brown and the year he had last season.
Rome Odunze
Comp: 2024 Jameson Williams
Seattle Seahawks v Chicago Bears
Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images and Getty Images
Benchmark Statistics:
### Games ### Starts ### Targets ### Receptions ### Rec Yards ### Rec Y/R ### Rec TDs ### R/G ### Rec Y/G ### Fumbles ### Awards
15 11 91 58 1001 17.3 7 3.9 66.7 - -
I’ll continue my comparisons to the Lions’ 2024 offense as the focus shifts to the younger of the talented WR duos on both squads: Rome Odunze and Jameson Williams. Both players were drafted with high expectations and Williams was able to excel last season, especially as a deep threat. Odunze will look to perform to a similar level this year as his chemistry with Caleb Williams grows stronger.
Olamide Zaccheaus
Comp: 2023 Josh Reynolds
Getty Images and Getty Images
Benchmark Statistics:
### Games ### Starts ### Targets ### Receptions ### Rec Yards ### Rec Y/R ### Rec TDs ### R/G ### Rec Y/G ### Fumbles ### Awards
17 13 64 40 608 15.2 10 2.4 35.8 1 -
Filling the role of the trustworthy, complimentary veteran in the receiving corps for Caleb Williams this season is the newly added OZ. The two have already flashed chemistry throughout the offseason and have given reason to believe that there could be some production to be had in this connection this season. Going back to 2023, we can find a similar WR in Josh Reynolds, who served as a reliable target for Goff just a couple years ago.
Luther Burden III
Comp: 2023 Jameson Williams
Getty Images and Getty Images
Benchmark Statistics:
### Games ### Starts ### Targets ### Receptions ### Rec Yards ### Rec Y/R ### Rec TDs ### R/G ### Rec Y/G ### Fumbles ### Awards
12 10 42 24 354 14.8 2 2.0 29.5 1 -
Finally, I’m viewing this last entry as almost a bonus as this was a difficult one to figure out. With the combination of huge talent but several unknowns regarding how early/often Luther Burden III will be on the field for the Bears this season, I ultimately decided it would be best to double-dip… sort of. We’ll use Jameson Williams (a former high school teammate of LB3’s) as a comparison here too, but I’ll pull from his 2023 season, which saw lesser production overall from the young player who was poised to breakout the following year.
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