To fill the vacant offensive coordinator position on Ben Johnson’s staff, the Bears coach looked internally.
According to multiple reports, the Bears are promoting passing game coordinator Press Taylor to offensive coordinator. Taylor, 38, enters his second season with the Bears in a role that will not have him call plays, since that is Johnson’s responsibility, but it still has plenty of importance.
Given the significance of the role, Johnson made the right choice in promoting Taylor.
Why Ben Johnson is right about promoting Press Taylor
People who are critical of the hire will point out Taylor’s inconsistent offense while he was the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville. He became Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator in 2022 and worked with then-coach Doug Pederson. The Jaguars’ offense finished top 10 in points and yards, and Taylor called plays during the second halves of games that season.
He took over as the primary play caller in 2023, and the unit’s results took a step back. The offense finished 13th in total yards. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence went from throwing 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 2022 to 4,016 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions the following season.
In Taylor’s final season in Jacksonville, the offense plummeted. The Jaguars finished 26th in yards and 25th in points scored. Lawrence played in just 10 games that season, but he failed to reach 200 yards passing in six of them. The Jaguars finished 4-13.
Everything that happened is a part of Taylor’s coaching journey, and he can use those final two seasons in Jacksonville as teaching lessons.
In his new role in Chicago, he will not call plays. What Taylor needs to demonstrate is that he can assist Johnson and the rest of the coaching staff for upcoming opponents through film study.
On game days, he must communicate effectively with Johnson while he calls plays and relay the necessary information to the rest of the assistants. That’s what the offensive coordinator job in Chicago will primarily entail.
Declan Doyle excelled at those roles in his one year in Chicago as the OC, and that landed him a play-calling job with the Baltimore Ravens.
It is also extremely important that Taylor’s promotion creates consistency within the coaching staff. After one season, the Bears lost Eric Bieniemy to the Kansas Chiefs as their offensive coordinator, and Ian Cunningham left to become the general manager of the Falcons.
Every team endures changes, and Taylor provides stability for the offensive staff and, more importantly, Caleb Williams. Doyle established a good connection with the Bears’ quarterback and had a “tremendous presence” in front of the players, according to Johnson.
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That should be at the top of Taylor’s list of goals he needs to check off in his new role, and if he does that along with his other responsibilities, he will get his shot to call plays in the NFL again.