Ben Johnson feels like the heavy favorite for the Chicago Bears head coaching job. The two sides have clarified their mutual interest through the media for weeks. A meeting is expected at some point next month. However, it would be presumptuous to call the job his. The organization plans to meet with other candidates as well, wanting to make sure they have a thorough process. There is a chance somebody else can step up to challenge Johnson for the job. If you talk to certain insiders, they will tell you that is already happening.
Zak Keefer of The Athletic mentioned on Hoge & Jahns recently. All the signs to him indicate one name out there who fits exactly what Chicago needs.
He isn’t alone. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports took it a step further, outright stating the Bears are intrigued by Mike Vrabel. They feel he demonstrates the necessary qualities of someone who can handle the challenges of coaching in a big market. Most importantly, he’s already proven he can assemble a quality staff to help his quarterback excel.
The Chicago Bears’ interest in Vrabel is justified.
He isn’t yet 50 years old and already has a proven track record to bolster his candidacy. Vrabel had four winning seasons in six years with the Titans, made the playoffs three times, and reached an AFC championship. He accomplished all of that with Ryan Tannehill as his quarterback, a decent veteran who never came across as anything special. People inside the league believe he got the most out of what was an okay roster, headlined by only three good players: Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown, and Jeffery Simmons.
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Does that mean he’s the right guy for Caleb Williams? That is a tricky question. Vrabel has never successfully developed a young quarterback. He had two chances with Malik Willis and Will Levis, but neither panned out. There is also the concern of constantly losing offensive assistants since he’s a defensive coach. That is something many Chicago Bears fans don’t want to see happen at such a critical juncture of Williams’ career. Still, Vrabel might be the most proven option on the board.
Poles being on the hot seat and if Caleb doesn’t get better next year he’s for sure gone. So would he rather hire an offensive coach that likely gives Caleb the best chance in succeeding along with offensive stability? Or trust a Defensive HC’s decision to get the OC hire correct in order to develope him? And then get poached next year giving Caleb his 5th OC in 3 years in 2026? Stability sounds like the more reasonable plan.
How many more different ways is there to write that so and so thinks The Bears like Vrable? We know all about the Belechik LB with the steel jaw line, seasonal crew cut, and old school footbally demeanor. REALITY CHECK: like all from the Belechik tree he is a fraud. There is nothing about his record as a head coach that screams he knows what he’s doing. He’s a guy that was hired to coach a few years ago and wasn’t a complete disaster like Flus. Is that the goal of this hire? Let’s regurgitate the Flores Miami time where… Read more »
@UnluckyIrishman Ben hasn’t “developed” a Rookie per sé, however he made an average Goff into an elite QB, and would you rather trust an offensive coach and former QB to develope Caleb? Or a Defensive Coach and former LB?
The problem is we don’t have leaders on the Bears. The one leader we needed went to Baltimore. Thus why Poles and Warren came out and publicly said we are looking for a leader of men. Unless Poles or whoever is at GM gets a solid free agent that is a proven leader then we for sure need a proven coach to get these players going. Jaylon could be a leader but really has not asserted himself fully in that role. That’s why we have 36 captains on this team! No one stepped up as the true leader of this… Read more »
The obvious choice if you want to win. Some commented that he never developed a young QB. Im sorry, exactly who did Ben Johnson develop? Goff who has been a QB for 7 yrs and has the best oline in football? Use your damn heads. Ask yourself, EVERY TEAM and a college team that has a vacancy wants Vrabel! Besides the Bears, no other team or their fanbase is clammouring for Ben Johnson. This is Daboll all over again. As far as McDaniels….everyone must of skipped over the “might” when his name was mentioned. So again it was speculation. This… Read more »