Under Ben Johnson’s tenure as offensive coordinator, the Detroit Lions fielded one of the most potent offenses in the NFL and became a team to watch over recent years. Now, as the Chicago Bears head coach, Johnson is reportedly implementing something different.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Bears reporter Courtney Cronin shared insights from Johnson on the complexity of the offense he is installing in 2025.
Before training camp started, Johnson reflected on the evolution of his offensive installs from 2022 to 2024. As Cronin reported, Johnson said the system he’s implementing with the Bears this year is “much more complex” compared to his Lions debut in 2022.
Johnson stressed that while players are still learning the offense, he does not expect mastery early on.
“I don’t expect them to have it mastered and yet they’re trusting, they’re really jumping in the deep end here and trusting the fact we’ve got a plan in place,” Johnson said. “We know what this is gonna look like Week 1. We’re going to get the pieces aligned correctly. They’re just doing their jobs in knowing what to do, and we can detail it up once we get it on tape.”
Sweat equity 💪 pic.twitter.com/9yGIEBimPg
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 29, 2025
Last season, Johnson’s Lions averaged a franchise-record 409.5 yards per game and led the league with 33.2 points per game, including a franchise-best 10 games scoring 30 or more points. The Lions also posted 70 total touchdowns in 2024, the most by any NFL team.
The announcement of Ben Johnson as Bears head coach was widely seen as a signal for an offensive upgrade.
In the 2024 season, the Bears offense ranked near the bottom of the league across key categories. The team averaged 181.5 passing yards per game (31st in the NFL) and 102.0 rushing yards per game (25th). They recorded 36 offensive touchdowns and scored 18.2 points per game, placing 28th in scoring.
