The Chicago Bears hit the jackpot this offseason when they landed Ben Johnson as their next head coach. He was the prized up-and-coming leader of the coaching cycle, and to make things better, Chicago was able to pry him from the hands of Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Not only is Johnson seemingly a dramatic upgrade over Matt Eberflus, but the hire also weakened an NFC North opponent. Now, the Detroit Lions are scrambling to find solutions without their two coordinators from last year's 15-win team.
While Lions fans were upset about the loss of Johnson, they insisted that the talent they have on offense is enough to surmount his departure. Most could reason that this was true, with players like Jahymr Gibbs, Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown in the lineup.
Lions facing obvious struggle with Ben Johnson now in Chicago
This has proven not to be the case, however. While there are always initial hiccups as training camp begins and all the new pieces are fitting together, according to long-time Lions reporter Justin Rogers, things are taking far longer than expected.
""It appears there’s a rockier-than-desired transition from former coordinator Ben Johnson to his replacement, John Morton.""Lions reporter Justin Rogers
Bears fans knew that, while Detroit has talented pieces on the offense, Johnson was the gear that kept them all flowing and working correctly. On some level, Lions fans knew this as well, given that they could not hide their disappointment when he ended up in Chicago.
Chicago certainly still has plenty of things to iron out as the season approaches, but the franchise is trending in the right direction with all the proper pieces in place. Detroit, however, seems to be trending in the opposite direction.
With the Minnesota Vikings expected to take a big step back, and the Lions' offense struggling in addition to having an already-thin defense in place, the Bears have a legitimate path to making the playoffs in 2025.
Johnson is the key to this massive turnaround in Chicago, and Lions fans always knew that, no matter how much they denied it. It is just an added benefit that Detroit is struggling without him, with just a month remaining until the regular season begins.
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Then, in Week 2, Chicago travels to Detroit with the ultimate opportunity to prove that Johnson was the biggest asset in the Lions' offense.