The Chicago Bears might’ve just found their offensive whisperer—Ben Johnson. After years of playing musical chairs with play-callers, they’ve now got a guy who treats schemes like chefs treat recipes—customized for flavor. And with Caleb Williams looking like Chicago’s five-star ingredient, it’s not just about feeding the ball anymore. It’s about finally cooking up something spicy in Soldier Field.

“You need to be able to see the game as a play-caller through the lens of the quarterback and vice versa,” Johnson remarked at the NFL owners’ meetings in Palm Beach. Facts! His last season in Detroit is the prime example of this (not to mention Jared Goff amassing nearly 5K yards). The man took the Lions‘ offense from a flip phone to an iPhone overnight—clean, fast, and way more fun to watch.

Fast forward, and now he’s in Chicago. The kicker? Well, Caleb Williams just admitted that the HC has been making sure he’s on his P’s and Q’s. “I think us growing together is key,” Williams said. “Starting now, him pushing me, [is] key. I know that and he knows that — him pushing me, because as he says and as he said before, it’s a QB-driven league.” It’s clear that the Bears are building an offense to full strength under coach Johnson.

And at least one NFL legend couldn’t agree more. We’re talking about the former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel. On Tuesday, Daniel talked about the Bears’ O-line on Scoop City with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. When Russini asked, “For you, stock up or stock down, with the Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson,” Daniel straight-up admitted it’s absolutely stock up for the Bears and Johnson.

“It has to be stock up,” Daniel noted. “Look, we hype up the Chicago Bears every single off-season. ‘We got Caleb Williams last year. Oh, we got Ben Johnson this year.’ Forget about all that. I think that they won the most important position, and that’s the offensive line. Ben Johnson is really into analytics. Love all that stuff. I think the stock is up, and it’s way up for them. I know they play in a really tough division, but I like it.” 

See, when the Bears drafted Williams with the first overall pick, they practically rolled out a red carpet, spotlight and all. From hyped-up social media drops to a full-blown hologram appearance at Soldier Field, it was like Chicago just landed a Marvel superhero. Cur to the reality, Williams wrapped up his rookie season 5-12. However, Daniel believes in forgetting all that and focusing on the silver lining. And it’s their O-line under Ben Johnson this season.

And let’s be real—Johnson is all about X’s and O’s. Under his watch, the Lions’ O-line skyrocketed from 22nd in points scored in 2021 to a top-five powerhouse. It’s like he cracked the code, blending data with play-calling to keep defenses guessing and scoreboards lighting up. On the other side of the spectrum, there are the Bears. The team allowed a league-high 68 sacks (high jump from 58 sacks in 2022 and 50 sacks in 2023). Their offensive production?

That’s the tricky part. The Bears ranked 31st in passing yards per game (181.5) and 25th in rushing yards per game (102.0). No wonder Chicago required an update in both pass protection and run blocking under the guidance of a potential leader. Enter Ben Johnson, and suddenly it looks like the man’s going to flip the script for the Bears’ offense in 2025. And don’t be surprised if he does it the same way he did for the Lions.

And that’s what Dianna Russini believes. “The Bears are building it Ben Johnson’s way. The Lions way,” she wrote in her ‘X’ post on Wednesday. But what about the Lions who’re now heading for the 2025 season without Johnson?

Dan Campbell: The Detroit Lions don’t need Ben Johnson

Dan Campbell and the Lions are rolling into the 2025 season with a fresh-faced coaching crew after a major staff shake-up. We’re especially talking about their offense. Gone is the offensive guru, Ben Johnson, who is now leading the charge in Chicago. And oh, even Antwaan Randle El (wide receivers coach) and Tanner Engstrand (passing game coordinator) have packed their bags for new gigs. The kicker?

Well, the Lions HC believes that the team will succeed without Johnson by their side, and losing their OC isn’t going to be that big of a deal. “This is a Detroit Lion offense, is what it is. … This offense is Jared Goff, (Amon-Ra) St. Brown,(Jahmyr) Gibbs, (David) Montgomery,” Campbell said. “It’s Frank (Ragnow); it’s (Penei) Sewell; it’s (Taylor) Decker… “We can say, ‘Well, this is our scheme, this is what we’re running.’ No, no, no,” Campbell said. ” (The players are) the ones who make it what it is. That’s our playbook, those guys.” Facts. Again.

See it this way: the Lions’ offense has been ridiculously good for a couple of years. The last season? Straight-up fireworks. We’re talking the Lions’ QB Jared Goff, who was out there slinging it like it was 2018 all over again, almost touching 5K yards. And let’s not forget the backfield—Gibbs and Montgomery were bulldozing their way to over 1,000 yards each. But let’s not sugarcoat this.

They shone like a knight in bright armor, no doubt, but Ben Johnson was the master behind the curtain. Sure, Campbell believes that the players make the offense what it is, and there’s no doubt about that. However, we still need to see how their offense will turn out under the newly appointed offensive coordinator, John Morton.