Bair Mail: On Bears’ Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams partnership, NFL draft options and D’Andre Swift
Massive Bears news has been steady over the past two weeks. The charter franchise hired Ben Johnson has its next head coach. Johnson set an excellent tone during his introductory press conference, discussing the need intensity and accountability in how the Bears go about their business.
Quarterback Caleb Williams is understandably thrilled with this development, providing a great chance to unlock his true potential. Optimism about his hire was sky high, and that was before Johnson locked Dennis Allen down as his defensive coordinator.
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While he has more work to do on his staff, Johnson’s off to a great start. Then comes the roster, when he and general manager Ryan Poles will search for upgrades to help the 2025 product. We’re starting to get questions about that part of this offseason, so we’ll discuss that, and the Johnson/Williams partnership in his Wednesday edition of Bair Mail.
On a housekeeping note, our mailbags will be regularly featured again after a short offseason hiatus. Expect them every Wednesday moving forward, so keep the good questions coming. Now on to what you want to discuss:
Tony Johnson from North Las Vegas
I love the head coaching hire. Ben Johnson is exactly what Caleb needs, an offensive minded HC.
Bair: Sorry to cut your question/comment in half, Tony, but we’re going to address offensive linemen in the next segment, so I wanted to hyper focus this response on the Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson partnership.
Pairing these two might be the most important move after making last year’s No. 1 overall selection itself. We saw flashes of brilliance from Caleb Williams as a rookie, but we also took note of the fact that poor coaching by Shane Waldron and Matt Eberflus slowed his progress overall.
Williams needs a tough, intense individual with elite credentials to guide him through an NFL journey. He has that in Johnson, who has a track record that commands respect.
Johnson turned Jared Goff into a top tier quarterback, and Williams has much more raw talent and skill to work with. Johnson plans to tailor his scheme toward his new passer’s skill set, which could provide explosive results if executed correctly.
Williams was a major reason why Johnson came to Chicago, and the quarterback seems thrilled to work with his new head coach. We ultimately don’t know if this pairing will produce steady wins, but there’s potential to do exactly that.
“We’re going to have to spend a lot of time together,” Johnson said last week. “The play caller and the quarterback have to be integrated. The quarterback needs to be able to see the game through the play caller’s eyes. In my opinion, that’s the only way it works.”
Gene Logan from Libertyville, Ill.
What positions do you think should be first on the Bears agenda, in the draft? O-line is obviously a must in the first round, in my opinion.
Bair: There’s no doubt the Bears must upgrade their offensive line. That was clear watching last season’s disappointment play out. New head coach Ben Johnson also made a point to say upgrades are required there in his introductory press conference.
Most mock drafts have LSU’s Will Campbell, Texas’ Kelvin Banks or another offensive lineman linked to the Bears with the No. 10 overall pick. Both of those guys can slide inside to guard, where Chicago needs the most help, and play tackle once Braxton Jones’ contract expires.
I’d like to provide a counter to that thought. While there’s no doubting the Bears’ need for help on the interior line especially, taking one that high doesn’t offer great positional value, especially for a team with two early picks in the second round.
There’s also a massive need at defensive end, and top pass rushers are plentiful in this draft. Go get one of the best, like Georgia’s Mykel Williams, who is built for Dennis Allen’s defensive scheme. There will be opportunities to invest in guard via free agency, and drafting a center seems a better option than a weak expected free-agent class.
I’m with you, Gene, in saying the Bears need offensive line upgrades. They desperately need a pass rusher, too, and could get an elite talent at No. 10.
Mark Beach from Clemmons, N.C.
What type of player are the Bears looking at for RB and who are they looking at to fill that position if they plan on replacing Swift?
Bair: There are tons of focus on required upgrades to both lines of scrimmage this offseason, and rightfully so. Running back is high on the priority list as well.
It’s fair to question whether D’Andre Swift is the right fit for the new Bears offense, considering he was in Detroit and got traded after one year of work with Johnson calling Lions plays.
It’s possible Detroit simply went for an upgrade in Jahmyr Gibbs and traded him after making the first-round selection. Swift has the shiftiness and big-play ability the Lions produced and, if we’re following the Lions’ model, they’ll need a David Montgomery type of thumper to balance out the rushing attack. Is that Roschon Johnson? It could be a lighter version of what the Lions had and could be more productive with an upgraded line.
That might be the best path, considering a Swift cut comes with $8.77 million in dead money and precious little cap savings, per OverTheCap.com. Roschon Johnson’s still on a rookie deal, so it sure seems like the Bears could run it back with the same duo and hope schematics and a better front crank up the run game.