Ben Johnson, the architect of Detroit’s explosive offense, is taking his talents to Chicago. Can Caleb Williams and DJ Moore thrive under his system? And what does his departure mean for the Lions' stars?
Let's sort it all out.
Setting The Scene In Chicago
Johnson, who has run Detroit's offense the past three seasons, will fill the job vacated when the Bears fired Matt Eberflus in November.
The 38-year-old play-caller became available after the Lions, who were the NFC's No. 1 seed in the playoffs, were upset Saturday night by the Washington Commanders.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Johnson is already working on assembling his staff, with former New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen the leading candidate to serve as defensive coordinator. The Bears are also heavily pursuing Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi to be their special teams coordinator, sources told Schefter.
It will be interesting to see who Johnson tabs as his offensive coordinator, with current Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand and Detroit offensive line coach Hank Fraley mentioned as possibilities.
ESPN.com's Courtney Cronin noted that Johnson, known for his innovative playcalling, has coached the Lions to top-10 offenses the past two seasons, including second overall and No. 1 in points scored in 2024 when they finished this season 15-2.
As Athletic's Dianna Russini pointed out, "Those are unheard-of numbers in Bears history."
The Bears last finished in the top four in total offense in 1977.
They've had a top-10 offense once this millennium, when they finished eighth in 2013, in first-time head coach Marc Trestman's first season. The only two times the Bears were top-10 in scoring since 2007 came in Trestman's first year and Matt Nagy's first year, another first-time, offensive-minded head coach.
More to the point, the Lions averaged at least 26 points per game in each of Johnson's three seasons at the helm. The Bears have had four such seasons in the entire Super Bowl era (1985, 2006, 2013, and 2018).
Overall expectations will rise, but there are issues.
Three of Chicago's primary starters on the offensive line -- Coleman Shelton, Matt Pryor, and Teven Jenkins -- are pending free agents, as is wide receiver Keenan Allen.
That said, the Bears own the No. 10 pick (as well as four selections in the top 72) and have a projected $74.8 million in salary cap space (fourth most), giving them resources to upgrade weaknesses and reinforce where needed.
Fantasy Impact On The Bears
Johnson has been a hot head coaching candidate for the last couple of years but passed on opportunities to leave the Lions. As Profootballtalk.com suggested, it seems the chance to work with Williams while remaining in the familiar confines of the NFC North was enough of a lure to get him to move on.
Williams, meanwhile, made his preference clear last week.
"Selfishly, I want an offensive-minded guy so I can build with him and be with that coach for the next 19, 17, 15 years," Williams said on the "St. Brown Podcast" with Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
"If it's Ben . . ." Williams then said with a smile.
He also praised Detroit's offense last month.
"I think during our game, I would sit back and watch and try and learn something while I watch," Williams said. "It was fascinating to watch because he always had wrinkles for counters and things like that throughout the game. I think he's obviously done really well, so it'd be cool to see how that all goes down."
Ahead of the Bears' 34-17 loss to Detroit in December, Johnson offered similar praise for what he'd seen from Williams. In two games against the Lions, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft threw for 681 yards and five touchdowns without an interception.
Now, Johnson will look to build on Williams' challenging rookie season.
Maximizing Williams
Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times in 2024, and while the team must upgrade their offensive line, getting Williams to process and get rid of the ball more quickly is also essential.
Fortunately, Johnson will have the entire offseason and summer to build his new offense around what works and what doesn't for Williams. AtoZSports.com's Kole Noble explained that that means more in rhythm and on-time play designs that build upon each other.
Williams should also benefit from the creativity Johnson displayed in Detroit.
The Lions ranked No. 1 in play-action usage last season (36 percent), while Chicago ranked 30th. Detroit used pre-snap motion at the fifth-highest rate, whereas the Bears ranked 19th.
Although he finished 2024 as QB14, Williams had multiple weeks in QB1 territory. The last three seasons offer ample evidence of Johnson's ability to get the most out of the position. I expect Williams to make strides in Year 2.
Who Else Benefits?
At running back, Johnson is familiar with D'Andre Swift, who played under his new boss in Detroit in 2022. Working a complementary piece alongside Jamaal Williams, Swift carried the ball 99 times for 542 yards with five touchdowns in 14 games. He also caught 48 of 70 targets 389 yards and another three scores. That's 147 touches working in tandem with a 1,000-yard rusher, as Williams carried the ball 262 times while serving as the clear lead back.
It will be interesting to see if the Bears look to add at the position, if they view Roschon Johnson as part of a one-two punch, or if Ben Johnson sees Swift differently now. If not, Roschon Johnson could emerge as a value.
At wideout, Moore has been a consistent producer at the position since his arrival in the league. He might not be on the same level as Amon-Ra St. Brown, but he's not far off at his best. Moore has four top-20 fantasy seasons to his credit in four of his seven seasons; St. Brown has three consecutive top-10 campaigns. Beyond Moore, Rome Odunze brings a more physical presence at the position than Johnson had in Detroit.
Based on what we saw from Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, it's also fair to believe Cole Kmet will see an uptick in usage.
Fantasy Fallout In Detroit
As USA Today noted, not only did the Lions lose their crafty offensive coordinator, but they also lost him to a team within the division. This is a double hit against Detroit, which has to replace a key member of its coaching staff and compete against him twice a year.
Player Impact
As for the players involved, with Johnson directing the offense, Jared Goff has led the NFL in passing yards (13,642) and passing touchdowns (96) since the 2022 season, averaging 260-plus passing yards per game in each of his three seasons played under Johnson and posting the best win-loss record of any quarterback in the last two years (27-7).
Goff's ability to keep his game on point will be among the most important aspects of this change.
Jahmyr Gibbs finished the season as fantasy's RB1, thanks to Saquon Barkley sitting out the Eagles' regular-season finale. However, Gibbs was still RB2 through Week 17, which is impressive considering he worked in a timeshare most of the season. His running mate, David Montgomery, missed five games with a knee injury, but his 16-point per game average ranked 14th in the league.
St. Brown finished as WR5, while Jameson Williams' WR25 finish far exceeded his ninth-round Average Draft Position heading into the season. Despite a slow start, LaPorta finished the year as TE7.
Who's Next?
How the Lions recover from Johnson's departure will depend greatly on his replacement.
There are in-house candidates. The list includes Fraley, Engstrand, and assistant head coach/running backs Coach Scottie Montgomery. Any of those three could leave to become offensive coordinator for Johnson or defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn if/when he takes a head coaching job. Fraley will interview with the Seahawks for their coordinator opening.
If not for the real possibility of following Johnson or Glenn, Engstrand, widely viewed as a rising star, would be the favorite here.
Head coach Dan Campbell said he'd be open to looking outside of the organization as well. Some potential outside candidates mentioned recently are Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael and Buffalo QBs coach Ron Curry, both of whom worked alongside Campbell on Sean Payton's staff in New Orleans.
It's worth remembering Campbell and the Lions have had time to consider the possibilities here. A quick move seems likely.
Conclusion
With Johnson moving to Chicago, fantasy managers should prepare for significant changes in the NFC North and to the 2025 draft rankings.
We'll be following along to assess associated hirings for both teams, free-agent moves of interest, and the NFL Draft to get the best possible feel for both offenses heading into your drafts this summer.
Bob Harris was the first ever Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year and is a member of the FSWA Hall of Fame. You can listen to Harris on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio's The Football Diehards show on Sirius channel 87.