Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
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Ben Johnson has a lot on his plate trying to incorporate all the new weapons on offense.
The Chicago Bears made some massive changes during the offseason once again, hiring Ben Johnson, who was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Johnson was the hottest name on the market by a landslide, indicating that the Bears could be a very good team in the near future if things go as planned.
If he didn’t believe that, he would’ve stayed in Detroit and waited until he got the perfect job. Instead, Chicago was seemingly that.
But things are changing for this organization, and that’s a good and bad thing.
For a team that hasn’t found much success over the past few years, with some players still on the roster from those past rosters, they have to understand that Johnson isn’t going to deal with the same stuff that prior coaches have. When speaking to reporters, tight end Cole Kmet admitted that this is much different, but it’s an example of what Johnson wants the team to do.
“That’s just an example of Ben not letting up on those things and making sure everybody’s on the details,” Kmet said Tuesday, perThe Athletic.
“It’s funny, on that play with the alignment, I’m kind of cheating myself out of getting the ball the way I was aligned. So afterwards, he’s kind of joking. He’s like, ‘I was trying to get you the damn football.’ … I mean, he’s not just yelling at you because he doesn’t like you. He wants things right, and he wants to win, and he knows that’s what you have to do. And I think guys have been really receptive to that so far.”
Ben Johnson Makes Impact on Bears squad
This could be viewed as a concerning comment, as the Chicago Bears clearly haven’t had the coaching they’ve needed over the past few years. However, Kmet wasn’t the only one who had positive things to say about Johnson; D’Andre Swift also shared similar remarks. He added that he’s very serious, but that he has to be for the Bears to be who they’re looking to be.
“He’s more serious because he has to be,” Swift said. “He’s done a hell of a job. Just seeing him transition even from where I was before, just seeing his growth as a coach and as a man, (I’m) excited to play for him.”
Ben Johnson Lays Groundwork for Bears Culture
Johnson wants to hold players accountable, something the Chicago Bears must do if they want to be the team they aspire to be in the future.
Sure, there might be a few struggles for the Bears once again during the 2025 campaign, but as long as they show some improvements under Johnson’s first year, things should be much improved eventually. His tone is obvious, as he believes the Bears are a much better team than they’ve shown.
When discussing some of his top players, including D.J. Moore, it’s clear that Johnson expects the most from his players. For a Chicago fan base that’s been dying for success, this is as good a sign as anybody could’ve asked for.
“What we’ve seen the last six, seven weeks has been a guy that’s highly motivated,” Johnson said. “He wants to be as complete of a receiver as he can possibly be, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get there.”