The Chicago Bears have quickly paid the price for being a good NFL team. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who was a surprise hire by Ben Johnson last offseason at just 28 years old, has already been poached by the Baltimore Ravens, as he'll take on play-caller duties there next season.
Finding Doyle's replacement, especially later in the process, will be no easy task for Johnson and Co. Incredibly young himself, Johnson's NFL roots have not yet spread wide enough for him to have a deep rolodex of names to draw from.
Chicago has already interviewed two candidates: Arizona Cardinals passing game coordinator Connor Senger and Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Walters. Neither is a prominent name, at least at this point, but it shows that Johnson is thinking outside the box.
Ted Nguyten suggests Kliff Kingsbury-Ben Johnson pairing for Bears
Ted Nguyen of The Athletic, however, had an even more far-fetched idea. Nguyen posted on his social media that former Cardinals head coach and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury could benefit greatly from taking over the Bears' offensive coordinator duties.
"Best thing for Kingsbury might be to try to get the Bears OC job (though no connection has been reported). Obviously, he wouldn’t call plays but getting experience learning an under center offense would benefit him and his stock immensely," Nguyen wrote. "It would be way better for his career than taking let’s say the Jets jobs."
Now, Nguyen's suggestion makes sense for Kingsbury. As he said, learning a different style of offense under one of the game's best minds in Ben Johnson would be a smart career move for Kingsbury, who has already fallen on hard times twice in his NFL coaching career.
But would it make sense for Chicago?
On the surface, it feels like pairing Kingsbury, who has a big personality and is a bit of a control freak, with Johnson, who is essentially the same way, would be volatile. Kingsbury has never technically had to report to anyone as a play-caller in the NFL, and so he and Johnson could butt heads a lot.
That said, if Kingsbury was willing to swallow his pride a bit, he could be a major asset in Chicago. Kingsbury is known to be a great developer of quarterback talent, and he worked with Caleb Williams at USC as a senior offensive analyst in 2023. The two's history could play a major role here.
Read more: Ben Johnson is not messing around as he requests second interview for Bears OC job
Kingsbury has led several top-10 NFL offenses before, and even though he'd be taking a back seat to Johnson, his expertise could be a boon to the Bears' operation. Fans may have differing opinions about Kingsbury, who can be polarizing, but if he's not in charge, the good may outweigh the bad.