Ben Johnson’s offenses in Detroit were known for flash, creativity and explosiveness at the skill spots. The new Bears head coach knows that none of those elements could be possible without a stout offensive line.

RELATED CONTENT:

• Ben Johnson details his defensive philsophy, importance of quarterback disruption
• Why Ben Johnson wants to rip his offensive scheme ‘down to the studs’
• Ben Johnson saw Bears as a ‘sleeping giant’ even before he took the head coaching job
• How Ben Johnson, Ryan Poles discovered they could serve Bears well together

The Lions assembled one of the very best, with three first-round picks up front and some smart free-agent acquisitions. The Bears offensive line doesn’t have such pedigree with Darnell Wright the only first-rounder in the bunch. Left tackle Braxton Jones is solid at his position but is recovering from ankle surgery that ended his season prematurely. All three interior spots are wide open, with those 2024 starters set for unrestricted free agency with low odds of a return. Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles will have a chance to remake it with the talent Johnson requires inside to make a run-heavy scheme thrive.

“I think offensive line is certainly an area that we need to get better play from going forward, something that Ryan and I have already talked about,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “We will develop a plan of attack for how to get that done, but I’m looking forward to getting an excellent offensive line coach in the building to help develop the young talent that we already have on the roster, and we will certainly talk about acquiring talent to bolster that unit as well. But I was certainly blessed the last few years with the men that I worked with. And that was something I would love to replicate here as well.”

The excellent offensive line coach won’t be coming from Detroit. Hank Fraley was promoted to run game coordinator, and will remain on Dan Campbell’s staff as offensive line coach. Johnson has already told incumbent offensive line coach Chris Morgan that he won’t be retained, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

Expect an overhaul of that position during this offseason and over time, as Johnson tries to re-create the force up front that allowed the Lions to function so well. The Bears have plenty of salary-cap space and three draft picks in the top 41, and it’s fair to expect Johnson and Poles to use some of those resources to reconstruct the front.