Way before the Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus, there were a good amount of fans that had been wanting the organization to go get Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Finally, when Eberflus was fired, the potential of landing Johnson became real.
As one of the best head coaching candidates out there for the past year or so, Johnson has chosen to stick it out with Detroit for the time being, because he's believed in the possibility of doing something special there.
What he's done with Jared Goff is flat-out impressive. His scheme is one of the best there is. The way he utilizes his players to the best of their ability is arguably second to none. There's a reason he's looked at as one of the best candidates to land a head coaching gig in the near future.
And, while he'll be on the Bears' radar, there are some other candidates who will get strong consideration as well.
On a recent episode of the Rich Eisen Show, NFL insider Ian Rapoport discussed the Bears' opening and the potential of not only Johnson becoming Chicago's next head coach, but two others as well.
Rapoport listed Johnson along with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and current Cleveland Browns coach/consultant Mike Vrabel as three of the top names involved. But, he did note there's a difference when it comes to Johnson.
"You got Ben Johnson, who is a little bit different," Rapoport started.
Does Ben Johnson truly fit what the Bears want in their next head coach?
Eisen asked Rapoport what he meant by "different," to which the insider responded:
"Look, I think Ben Johnson is a really good head coach candidate ... Ben Johnson ... is he a front-of-the-room leader of men type? Maybe ... leaders come in all different forms."
Those are interesting words from someone as plugged-in as Rapoport. Sure, Johnson seems like a fantastic candidate and would likely do wonders for Caleb Williams. But, the way this organization has operated for so long ... they are in desperate need of a culture change.
It's not a guarantee that Johnson would bring that to Chicago. We don't yet know what kind of motivator Johnson is or if he has the ability to completely flip an organization on its head, which is exactly what the Bears need right now.
"Vrabel is the front-of-the-room leader of men, hard-driving, disciplinarian type dude," Rapoport went on. "Aaron Glenn is more of a 'rah-rah' spirited, player's coach guy."
Clearly, Rapoport is a bigger believer in Vrabel and Glenn in terms of being a motivator and leader. That phrase "leader of men" that's being thrown around so often was also one used by Rapoport. Say what you want about that term, but it's clearly important to the Bears and it's something they are going to look for.