While the hiring of Ben Johnson as their head coach was the unquestioned right move for the Chicago Bears this offseason, Johnson's arrival feels like it is one season too late.
The stage was set last offseason for the Bears to have the dream scenario. Fire Matt Eberflus, hire Johnson, and draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sure, it's revisionist history but how the 2024 season was the close to the worst possible scenario for Williams and the Bears.
Eberflus didn't last until December of Williams' rookie season and even prior to the firing of his first head coach at the NFL level, the rookie quarterback had to overcome the in-season firing of his first offensive coordinator.
Johnson taking over as the Bears' head coach now doesn't quite feel as level as it would have last offseason. Nevertheless, the arrow is still trending up. Proof of the Bears' optimism is evident in the latest for ESPN. ESPN had their NFL insiders forecast the 2025 season and a pair of Bears' players were mentioned as breakout candidates,
Rome Odunze and Caleb Williams will benefit the most from Ben Johnson
Matt Bowen had this to say about Rome Odunze:
"Under Ben Johnson, I expect Odunze to elevate his game as a three-level target for quarterback Caleb Williams. And with Keenan Allen likely heading to free agency, Odunze will see a bump in volume as the No. 2 opposite DJ Moore."
How the Bears deployed Odunze last season was not ideal for his development. Odunze was often used as the deep-threat in the Bears' offense last season and while he certainly has the skill-set to thrive in that role, he also has the talent to be the featured wide receiver in an offense. That ceiling may not be reached next season but Johnson serving as his head coach should put his development back on the right path.
Looking beyond Odunze, Williams also got a mention by Kalyn Kahler:
"If the Bears improve their offensive line, I expect Williams to have the season we all thought he would in 2024, pushing himself into the same conversation as Jayden Daniels. Johnson will coach him harder and free him up so he feels ownership of the offense."
Improving the offensive line shouldn't be considered an "if" for the Bears this offseason. Improving the offensive line needs to be the priority for the team this offseason. Failing to do will likely signal Williams failing to meet the expectations Bears fans had for him when he was drafted by the team last year.