Windy City Gridiron
“Ladies and gentlemen, we got him”. Ben Johnson will be named the franchise’s 19th head coach in franchise history but the time to celebrate can wait. What’s next for the Chicago Bears and their brand new coaching staff.
It’s been one helluva rollercoaster since Chicago’s (4-2) start in late October. After it became clear the season was a total loss and former head coach Matt Eberflus was not the answer, the focus quickly shifted to the team’s search for its 19th head coach in franchise history.
Chicago Bears fans had never experienced an in-season firing like Eberflus. So, in many ways, this was uncharted territory for a fan base that is no stranger to head coaching searches. With six games remaining in the season, interim head coach Thomas Brown did an admirable job, being promoted twice in 17 days and leading a team for the first time in his coaching career. In the end, a (1-5) record wasn’t enough to be seriously considered for the job and understandably so.
In the end, the Bears officially announced 17 interviews, with speculation that a few others commenced behind the scenes. Of those 17 names, only three came to Halas Hall. Surprisingly, Johnson wasn’t among those who stepped foot inside 1920 Football Drive before signing on to coach the team.
While the excitement is justified and should be enjoyed, the job is far from done. Part of getting this process right is hiring the head coach and allowing him the resources to build the proper coaching staff. After all, that’s exactly what Johnson’s former head coach did in Detroit. With a few top names already tied to the coordinator positions, here are a few names for each side of the ball to watch in the coming weeks. A big thanks to Quinten Krzysko of On Tap Sports Network and our very own Danny Meehan (Co-Host of Bear Bones) for compiling these lists of past connections to Johnson.
Offensive Staff
Oftentimes, when a team hires a head coach who will call plays on their side of the ball, it can be hard to project what the final staff will look like. As expected, Johnson will call the plays. Unlike his time in Detroit, he will be in charge of leading the entire football team and must rely on his offensive coaches to pick up the slack. As noted above, Dan Campbell has done an excellent job of stacking talent all over the place when it comes to his assistant coaches. Usually, when a coordinator takes a promotion, his previous head coach will allow him to poach an assistant or two.
Both passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand and running backs coach Scottie Montgomery have been named as top candidates to take over for Johnson in Detroit. That would leave a few interesting names for Johnson to consider:
Of the two names, Fraley would be the “big” target but might be the least...
