Grading the Bears' hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach

The plane has landed, the introductions have been made, and the ink is dry. Ben Johnson is officially the 19th head coach in Chicago Bears history. A day after reports came out about the two sides agreeing to a deal, Johnson arrived at Halas Hall on Tuesday to officially get started as the team's newest head coach.

The former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator was the consensus top coaching candidate on the market, thanks to the work he has done over the last few years. Johnson was the Lions offensive coordinator from 2022 to 2024 and guided them to historic numbers, finishing in the top five in scoring in each season and helping them capture back-to-back NFC North titles.

Johnson is going from the best in the division to the worst, but he has plenty of talent to work with. The offense has foundational pieces such as quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, and offensive tackle Darnell Wright, while the defense has plenty of playmakers, particularly in the secondary.

It's a tall task to get the Bears back to relevancy, but Johnson is equipped to get the job done. Here is our initial grade of the hiring:

Initial grade: A+

As I have said before, coaching hires in the NFL are the ultimate gamble. Just because someone is a great coordinator on another team doesn't mean they're going to excel as head coaches. In fact, chances are they will flame out within three to five years. Right now, we don't know how Johnson is going to fare with the Bears, but it was the hire they needed to make to bring them out of the doldrums of the NFC North and back to contending for the postseason.

There aren't many candidates like Johnson who are available. It's rare for an offensive coordinator to remain as hot as he has during his three seasons as the play caller in Detroit. Sure, there are good coordinators who wind up being a part of teams that make deep playoff runs, but either they take a head coaching job shortly after, or they flame out and fail to live up to lofty expectations. Johnson took a chance on himself by running it back with the Lions last year when he didn't like the open jobs, and he exceeded those expectations. Detroit's offense went from third in total yards and fifth in points in 2023 to second in yards and first in points in 2024. Johnson did what many coaches fail to do in this league, and that is sustain success. It's a big indicator of what kind of coach he is and what he brings to the table.

As a first-time head coach, though, it's fair to question if he can command a room. His first moments inside Halas Hall seemed to answer that. 30 seconds after Johnson walked into his new facility to a standing ovation, he addressed all of the team employees with confidence, conviction, and poise, something that is not easy to do. Just look at how Matt Eberflus' rousing speeches went over. So far, he passes every test, even if they're the easy ones at this juncture.

It's easy to say that Johnson was the best candidate on the market, and he checked every box on paper. It still took the Bears front office to convince him to sign, though, and they deserve credit for how they handled this process. Despite the lengthy list of candidates and criticism for interviewing everyone virtually, Ryan Poles and Kevin Warren had a plan that worked. They had contingencies but never strayed from Johnson and sold the situation well to him. Most importantly, they weren't afraid to pay top dollar for a first-time head coach. Poles has had plenty of misfires over the last 12 months. He and Warren deserve praise for how this got done.

Ultimately, it's going to be a rollercoaster tenure for Johnson, even if he does eventually bring a championship back to the charter franchise. There will be points of contention, second-guessing, and word salad answers in the media, and eventually, people will turn on him. That's life as a coach in the NFL. And while I'm excited for the hire, I will still be guarded until the team shows it on the field. Offseason hype can only get you so far. As Johnson begins his first week, though, we can all safely say the Bears landed the best candidate on the market. It's up to him and the organization to make the gamble pay off. But the odds haven't been this good in a long time.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Grading the Bears' hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach