One thing we can say for sure about new head coach Ben Johnson is he doesn’t do things by half measures. Most new head coaches would have their staff completed by now. That is not the case for the Chicago Bears. Though they have secured their new offensive and defensive coordinators, they remain methodical in their approach at other assistant positions. This is especially true on the offensive and defensive lines. While Dan Roushar remains the favorite for the offensive side, the Bears have remained a mystery as to who Travis Smith’s replacement will be on defense.

It initially looked like it would be long-time veteran Bill Johnson, but that was debunked as he’s earmarked for another spot on the staff. Finally, the first real name surfaced via Matt Zenitz of 247sports. Chicago plans to meet with Florida defensive line coach Gerald Chatman. The 36-year-old has been ascending the college ranks over the past several years. He first emerged on the scene as the defensive line coach at Butler University, where his unit had 25 sacks in 11 games, second-best in the conference.

The Chicago Bears’ interest in Chatman is justified.

He kept climbing the ladder from there. He helped develop Myles Garrett at Texas A&M in 2015 while also interning with the Green Bay Packers. A year later, he did the same with the Denver Broncos. That was enough to earn him an assistant position with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 and 2020. After brief stints with LSU and Colorado, he got his first real break in 2023 as Tulane’s defensive line coach. His unit had 27 sacks that season. The defense as a whole had 24 the previous year. This success led to Florida hiring him for the same job. Once again, his impact was immediate. The defense had 39 sacks on the season after just 22 the previous year despite losing prized 1st round talent Princely Umanmielen to the transfer portal.

This shows that Johnson has been doing his homework. It would be easy to just seek out the buzziest names and bring them in. Instead, the Chicago Bears head coach is taking the time to identify guys who are both qualified and fit the vision he and new coordinator Dennis Allen have for that side of the ball. Chatman has NFL experience. He seems to have success everywhere he goes. Florida fans aren’t happy about the idea of losing him. Everything points to this being a strong move.

The Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson for many reasons, primarily his proven offensive expertise. They hope he will be exactly what quarterback Caleb Williams needs to take his game to the next level. Beyond that, Johnson has a reputation for being detailed, disciplined, and able to foster strong relationships. GM Ryan Poles did tons of research going back several months, determining if this was the leader the Bears needed. By Christmas last year, he had his answer. Johnson was hired 48 hours after the Detroit Lions were eliminated from the playoffs.

There is another reason people haven’t noticed this hire that makes it more exciting. Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog pointed it out in a recent column.

Ben Johnson is now firmly placed in the lineage of Bill Parcells, which traces through Sean Payton to Dan Campbell. (The Dennis Allen hiring at DC furthers this.) Few coaching trees have been more successful than that of Parcells, and everyone in Chicago should hope that continues.

This is a big deal to those who understand their history. Bill Parcells was a two-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer. Yet his greatest achievement may have been fostering one of the richest coaching trees in NFL history. Three of his assistants, Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, and Tom Coughlin, went on to win Super Bowls as head coaches of their own teams. Before becoming the greatest head coach in college football history, Nick Saban was an assistant under Belichick in Cleveland. Five others eventually took teams to the playoffs at least once.

Ben Johnson is descended from coaching royalty.

His first NFL stint came in 2012 with the Miami Dolphins. Their GM at the time, Jeff Ireland, had been hired by Parcells. So, the connections between the new Bears coach and the NFL legend run deep. It is rather fascinating the organization has never tried plucking from that tree before now. They’ve had multiple opportunities over the years. They interviewed Belichick for the job in 1999. Payton was available for trade in 2023. Jerry Angelo reportedly wanted to hire Saban in 2004, but the money couldn’t be worked out. Finally, 15 years after Parcells retired, the Bears took the plunge. If Ben Johnson lives up to that legacy as others have, the franchise will be in a great spot for years to come.

Ben Johnson has pulled some fascinating names as he continues piecing together his coaching staff for next season. The Chicago Bears head coach has taken a clear approach to the offensive side, favoring a youth movement. Nobody exemplifies this more than Declan Doyle, their new offensive coordinator. He comes over from the Denver Broncos, having served the past two years as tight ends coach. Doyle has only been in the NFL for six seasons, making the move somewhat confusing. Many had felt Johnson could benefit from somebody more experienced.

Others around the league aren’t surprised. Doyle has quickly earned a reputation for being a football genius, showcasing intelligence and hard work in identifying where players can improve and how to exploit opposing defenses. One person who knows this better than anybody is Sean Payton. The future Hall of Fame head coach has employed Doyle for all six of his NFL seasons. He admitted to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune that the Bears are getting a good one.

Basically a mad scientist.

“Declan is one of those guys that was extremely professional and yet was super smart and therefore super tactful. In other words, he knew the timing of when to interject and maybe when not to as a young coach.”

Quality control coaches will have tells early on if they’re cut out for the business. The jobs are grueling — long hours with lots of demands — and Doyle impressed.

“It happened early,” Payton said. “You observe work ethic and you observe attention to detail. He’d jot me a note at the end of the season. It wasn’t like in any way, shape or form overkill. It was really timely. Tip sheets at the end of each week with the reports and reminders for the tight ends that he would put on my desk. He had great insight and I valued his opinion when we got into the installation meetings. This was from a first-year coach.”

“You need a combination on your staff,” he said. “Some guys are riveters, some guys are glue guys, some guys are scientists, you know. Declan is one of those scientists. He’s smart. So he would have good scheme ideas that I valued and not everyone has to. You have to have a staff that is mixed up that way. But I would say almost like a machine. I wouldn’t say quiet. Very focused on his players. Very intelligent.

Declan Doyle is in a perfect position to grow.

Many young coaches are often thrown into the offensive coordinator role before they’re ready. They can’t handle the dual responsibilities of organizing the unit, preparing game plans, and then calling plays every Sunday. That won’t be an issue for Doyle. He is free to organize, brainstorm, motivate, and then let Johnson handle the play calling every week. It takes enough off his plate to ensure he doesn’t get overwhelmed while giving him a taste of increased responsibilities.

Several people are convinced Declan Doyle will soon become a head coach. Chicago aims to exploit his gifts along the way, which is never a bad thing. It worked in their favor with Buddy Ryan and Ron Rivera in years past. If the Bears offense takes a major step forward next season, one can imagine the buzz around him will pick up with significant speed.

There is no question Ben Johnson was brought in to help develop Caleb Williams at quarterback for the Chicago Bears. The work he did with Jared Goff in Detroit was outstanding. There is no doubt in the minds of many that he can do the same for the former #1 overall pick. How he does it will be a topic of debate. If one were to go by his Lions tenure, it is a fair assumption that Johnson would want to have an effective ground attack to lean on, as he had done with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Right now, the Bears have the 28th-ranked rushing attack in the NFL. D’Andre Swift is a solid weapon at the position, but it became clear he doesn’t have the toolbox to be a true featured back. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has heard from some around the league who think Johnson will go hunting for help.

If you view Swift as sort of what Gibbs is — a player with open-field ability — what the Bears need is a new version of Montgomery. They need a tone-setter. Swift isn’t as gifted as Gibbs athletically, but they’re similar in some regards. There’s no question Gibbs has more tools than Montgomery, but Montgomery was the player in the Lions offense who did what? He set the tone.

“That’s not on the roster right now in Chicago,” an assistant general manager for another team said. “Roschon (Johnson) runs too high, and I like Roschon as a back.”

This would certainly be a good year to do it. Every expert agrees the 2025 draft class is loaded at running back. Based on a new rumor, Johnson already has a name in mind. That is Kaleb Johnson of Iowa.

Ben Johnson having interest in Kaleb is no surprise.

The 21-year-old was a breakout star in 2024, carrying the Hawkeyes offense with 1,537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. His strong performances against Ohio State and Wisconsin were clear indicators that he has the ability to translate to the NFL. He’s drawn some notable comparisons, ranging between Arizona Cardinals star James Conner and former Houston Texans Pro Bowler Arian Foster. Johnson is a well-built workhorse with vision, toughness, burst, and contact balance. His power dynamic would be a great complement to Swift’s speedy style.

Chicago should have a reasonable chance to draft him. Current estimates have Johnson going on Day 2, most likely in the 2nd round. The Bears have two picks in that range. It would be a surprise if they don’t take a running back around that point. Ben Johnson is at his best when he can utilize heavy doses of play action on offense, leading to constant chunk plays down the field. Kaleb will be the first Hawkeyes running back drafted in 15 years, following Shonn Greene in 2009.

The Chicago Bears know that fixing the offensive line is the priority going into this off-season. Allowing 67 sacks and ranking 28th in rushing is unacceptable. This would require a two-pronged approach. One would involve finding better talent, which GM Ryan Poles undoubtedly plans to do in March and April. The other was finding a new offensive line coach to replace Chris Morgan. New head coach Ben Johnson has spent the last ten days looking into multiple options, including Joe Rudolph of Notre Dame and Justin Frye of Ohio State.

However, it appears they have their guy in mind now. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported that Tulane offensive line coach Dan Roushar was the name to watch as the search unfolded. He interviewed with the team on Friday. Now, according to David Kaplan of ESPN 1000, the two sides are working to finalize a deal that would bring him to Chicago.

Roushar would be an immediate boost for the Chicago Bears.

One thing people can’t deny about the 64-year-old is he gets the most out of his players. He uncovered Jack Conklin at Michigan State, who went on to become a Pro Bowler. Roushar then took over in New Orleans, churning out studs for the next decade. Between 2013 and 2022, no fewer than seven players would either make a Pro Bowl or All-Pro under his watch. The Saints drafted names like Terron Armstead, Andrus Peat, Ryan Ramczyk, Eric McCoy, and Cesar Ruiz over that stretch.

There is no question the Chicago Bears will benefit from his presence almost immediately. Darnell Wright should take another big step forward. Roushar is great with tackles. He will also help GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson pinpoint good options in the upcoming draft. This is as strong of a hire as the team could make, presuming they cross the finish line.