Giving grades to head coaching hires always feels pointless, considering nobody can predict what will actually happen once those men embark on their missions. Guys that seemed like complete wastes of time turned out great, and vice versa. Still, it is encouraging to see the Chicago Bears receive “A” grades from most experts for their hiring of Ben Johnson. Most feel they have the best and brightest offensive mind on the market. A perfect match for quarterback Caleb Williams. However, that isn’t where people should be focusing.
At least not according to insider Jay Glazer. He explained on the CHGO Bears podcast that people still aren’t grasping what makes Johnson such a good hire. Yes, his work with Jared Goff has been outstanding, even better than what Sean McVay accomplished. That said, not enough people talk about his ability to elevate Detroit’s offensive line to elite levels.
Ben Johnson took the group higher than it’s ever been.
Most of the time, offensive line coaches get the credit for whether a group is great or not. People forget that coordinators work with every position group, not just the quarterbacks. The Lions already had a talented front before Johnson took over. In the three years prior to him becoming offensive coordinator, they gave up 43, 42, and 36 sacks, respectively. In his three years running the show, they’ve given up 24, 31, and 33. Some may try to explain that away by the arrival of Hank Fraley as line coach until you realize he has held that job since 2020.
Glazer is correct. A large portion of that improvement up front for Detroit came once Ben Johnson took over. Make no mistake. That doesn’t mean he has a magic wand that will fix everything. He still needs talent to work with. Having three 1st round picks certainly makes life easier. Still, it is apparent his style of coaching does a great job of maximizing the work up front.
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@BearDownTX — Two of the most successful GMs in the NFL (the Lions Brad Holmes, and the Eagles Howie Roseman) realized who D’Andre Swift was (without any input from me). Watch how Swift progresses under Eric Bieniemy — that’ll tell you everything you need to know about whether D’Andre Swift is a NFL-quality player. Spotrac has Swift ranked as the 7th highest paid RB in 2025 with a Cap Hit of: $9,333,333). NFL.com had D’Andre Swift ranked as the 21st RB in the NFlL after 2024, and stated: “After a breakout 2023 campaign with the Eagles, Swift somewhat underwhelmed in… Read more »
I just wish I could receive extremely lengthy zealous angry comments, but I don’t. I must try harder.
@TGena – There you go again. Running your mouth and then trying to get your over stats to prove your point. This time, you are dead wrong! In the message to Sallie below, you said Swift is not an NFL-quality RB. That is just pure BS, as DR Melhus pointed out. Then you try to strong arm him with the argument, saying I never said Swift was a terrible player, and then quote a show that is 3 years old to try and cover up your tracks. Saying he isn’t an NFL-quality running back is saying he is a terrible… Read more »
@Byron —
Here’s a two-word clue on what HC Ben.is thinking about RB, D’Andre Swift’s future with the Chicago Bears: Eric Bieniemy.
RB coach Eric Bieniemy is one of the hardest-ass coaches currently in the NFL.
Bieniemy will make D’Andre into a “dawg” — or he’ll make D’Andre cry in public.
HC Ben told the Bears: players “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
This year will be different!
Last year was surrounding Caleb with all these weapons and it was all for naught because they didn’t have an OC or offensive line. We will see what Ben thinks of Swift shortly. I’m sure they aren’t going to trade him away for a sixth-round pick. There is a lot to be worked out between now and preseason, but at least this year I feel a little better about thinking that the right people are in the right places to make intelligent decisions. The more I look back on the last few years the more I see Eberflus in an… Read more »