There is probably nobody busier in the NFL right now than Detroit Lions coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. Both are preparing voraciously for their upcoming playoff matchup with the Washington Commanders—but they’ve also become the two focal points of this year’s coaching carousel. They’ve already conducted interviews with interested teams—including the Chicago Bears. It truly never stops.
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The Bears interviewed both offensive coordinator Johnson and defensive coordinator Glenn for their head coaching vacancy on Saturday. At this point, they’ve also interviewed five other potential candidates for the role: Mike Vrabel (signed with the New England Patriots), Cardinals OC Drew Petzing, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, Pete Carroll (yes, that Pete Carroll), and Giants OC Mike Kafka.
Chicago is also expected to interview eight other possible candidates. Among them are Steelers OC Arthur Smith, Vikings DC Brian Flores, Ron Rivera, Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, Ravens OC Todd Monken, Bills OC Joe Brady, and a few coaches from the college ranks.
Despite Chicago testing the waters to the max with all of these interviews, this pair of Lions coordinators seem like the favorites after the Bears’ 11th-hour run at Vrabel proved fruitless. But which one would be the best fit? We believe Caleb Williams is the beginning and end of the answer.
Ben Johnson would be the ideal head coach hire for the Bears
The Bears’ No. 1 overall pick last year, Caleb Williams, came into the league in a seemingly great position. However, it was the staff, rather than the talent level on the field, that caused the positivity to evaporate. After Week 9, his OC, Shane Waldron, was canned, and after Week 13, his head coach, Matt Eberflus, followed suit and was let go.
They were replaced on an interim basis by Chris Beatty and Thomas Brown, respectively. That meant that Williams was essentially getting directives from four different coaches throughout his first year. Not exactly ideal for development. The guy the Bears hire needs to be offensive-minded, like Ben Johnson, so he can build rapport and help develop Williams.
But more importantly, the offensive-mindedness of a head coach who’s here for the long haul creates stability, which allows Williams to get comfortable and familiar with that coach’s offensive scheme and outlook. Basically, the opposite of the chaos he got as a rookie.
If the Bears hire a defensive-minded head coach, like Aaron Glenn, they will need to find another OC to help develop Williams. If that OC does well in that role, as we’ve seen countless times in recent years, he’s going to be poached rather quickly. Then it becomes a revolving door at that spot, which is bad for the QB.
This is one of the biggest reasons offensive head coaching hires are becoming the norm. Considering the QB prospect they have, the Bears must take advantage by following this trend.
Johnson started off in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, taking on several different roles over seven seasons there. He joined the Lions staff in 2019 (before Dan Campbell had even arrived) as the offensive quality control coach. In four consecutive years, he was promoted to TEs coach, passing game coordinator, and finally offensive coordinator in 2022. Detroit has been top-five in total offense and scoring in each of his three seasons at the helm.
As a 15-year NFL veteran who earned three Pro Bowl nods, Glenn’s NFL pedigree is a bit better than Johnson’s. However, that’s probably the only area in which he exceeds Johnson in this context.
Four years after retiring in 2008, he became a scout for the Jets. He then served as a DBs coach for the Browns and Saints before getting his big break as Detroit’s DC in 2021. Glenn has taken the defense from worst in the league to middle-of-the-pack, which isn’t as impressive as what Johnson’s done with the offense.
Not to mention that Johnson was integral in imbuing an embattled QB (Jared Goff) with newfound confidence. That’s something he will likely have to do again in Chicago. Johnson is currently the favorite to earn the role, with -125 odds. Glenn is down in 5th, with +900 odds.