2. What makes Ben Johnson tough?
Johnson was poached by Chicago and tapped as the franchise’s 19th head coach in January.
In his Detroit tenure from 2022-24, he coordinated the Lions offense to No. 1 standings in points per game, total yards per game, pass yards per game, red zone touchdown percentage and passer rating.
Elite personnel factored into Johnson’s brilliance, but so did his design and spool of plays.
“What doesn’t make [Johnson’s offense] tough?” Flores asked rhetorically. “It’s the run game, it’s the pass game, it’s the play-action game, it’s the screen game, it’s the [shot]gun runs, under [center] runs, under [center] play-action, [shot]gun play-action, I mean, anything – third down, red zone, all of it is, I would say he does a good job of putting it all together. Things that look like one thing, there’s two, three, four, five things out of it, so it really boils down to your techniques, your fundamentals, just your overall cohesion and communication as a defense. A lot of it is trying to break that. He’s done an incredible job.”
While it’s fair to anticipate an adjustment phase in Johnson’s new endeavor, the Bears offense has exceptional talent, beginning with McCarthy’s draft classmate: No. 1 overall selection Caleb Williams.
Williams’ rookie slate was marred by 68 sacks, tied for the third-most in a single season all time, and a post-bye week fizzle. But still, it featured plenty of promise. Williams accounted for 83.6 percent of the club’s offense a year ago, the highest by a rookie since 1970 and highest in the NFL in 2024 – Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow (82.4) was second in 2020. Williams also had an impressive nine-game streak sans an interception.
Chicago’s corps of skill players are running back D’Andre Swift and receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. It swapped its options in the slot, letting Keenan Allen walk and signing veteran Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency along with drafting Luther Burden III in the second round. Additionally, the Bears chose former Michigan tight end and one of McCarthy’s top college targets, Colston Loveland, with pick No. 10.
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