Molding Ben Johnson's Bears offense for Caleb Williams' use

Bears coach Ben Johnson tried to paint a general picture of the future for his new Bears offense.
"It's not going to look like it did in Detroit," Johnson said. "We have a completely different personnel group than what we did in Detroit.
"This entire offense is going to be predicated on the guys that we have available. That's going to take the spring time as well as training camp to hone in what it's going to look like."
What this means exactly is open to interpretation or guessing until it becomes more apparent at minicamp.
How it will differ isn't entirely difficult to determine. This is because Johnson has beliefs and he'll want to stick to those. One was what he said about his friendship with former Bears offensive coordinator John Shoop.
You want Ben Johnson to be successful? Build the offensive line. Draft and free agency. I’m not taking a RB with premium picks right now.
— JAY🤘🏽🐻⬇️ (@Directhim) January 27, 2025
"Philosophically, what I believe in is similar to a blast from the past named John Shoop, and that is to make same things look different and different things to look the same," Johnson said. "We want the defense on their heels, we are always going to be attacking on offense."
Plenty of teams say that. What Johnson did in Detroit and what he will without doubt want to do in Chicago is establish the run so they can use play-action passes.
It's a huge tool for quarterbacks to use and whether he thinks their talent is different than the Bear have or not, they will want to use this because it's the best way to make same things look different. The defense thinks they're seeing the run, but it's going to be a pass.
Former Bears offensive coordinator John Shoop coached Ben Johnson at North Carolina.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) January 22, 2025
Shoop shares how Johnson got interested in coaching, the start of a journey that's led him to becoming Bears head coach.
Listen: https://t.co/GNGNbfesTJ pic.twitter.com/SB7WUi47rj
This will be something entirely different for the Bears and for Williams. Even though they talked about this last year, they didn't use it much and the pass rush could tee off.
According to Stathead/Pro Football Reference's advanced statistics, Jared Goff threw off play-action 203 times in 2024. The Bears had Williams throw 85 times off play-action. The Lions had 2,060 yards passing off play-action. The Bears had 626.
The way to establish play-action is to seriously run it and run effectively. The Bears ranked 23rd in attempts and 25th in yards. The Lions ran it the third-most times for the sixth-most yards.
Well crappy ending to a very promising Lions season…
— Mike Petta (@Hoop2410) January 19, 2025
- Jared Goff is not the answer. QB’s in this day and age need SOME mobility, he is a statue
- The defensive injuries were too much to overcome. The problem was disguised when facing Same Darnold
- Jahmyr Gibbs is elite.…
You're not running play-action when you've shown you can't run. It took away that potential way of slowing down the rush and striking downfield.
"We believe in multiplicity, that's both formationally and conceptually," Johnson said. "We are going to make things very challenging on the defense each and every week. We want the ability to morph, whether it's 50 runs in a game or 50 passes in a game."
One of Caleb Williams most impressive plays was an incompletion.
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) August 11, 2024
For a guy that’s not used to being under center or having his back to the defense he looks very comfortable w play action mechanics.
He places the ball perfect in a small window on the run. Uncommon. #DaBears pic.twitter.com/ReZ2y2734Y
Actually, coming to Chicago, Johnson might get the chance to explore areas of creativity he never did in Detroit because he now has a quarterback with mobility.
Goff was only a few pigeons short of being a statue. He scrambled only 14 times to Williams' 51 times. So you might see Johnson expand into different areas with his offense, like moving the pocket more or have Williams throw on the run. He'd rarely do this in Detroit.
Jared Goff with the mobility of a statue pic.twitter.com/Sg6xCiULmX
— jadonkulous (@jadonkulous) January 15, 2024
The Lions ran RPO, run-pass option, only 14 times last year while the Bears weren't among the league leaders but did do it 53 times. It's another possible way Johnson could alter his approach.
The place they run it will all depend on their personnel. For instance, Detroit ran 152 times behind right tackle or around right end, behind their All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell. The Bears had a very good right tackle but only wen 111 times that way.
If I’m building the perfect running back in a lab… It’s Jahmyr Gibbs. pic.twitter.com/mN1SXNTqQG
— Terrell Williams (@4Wade2021) January 19, 2025
The Lions had an All-Pro center with two good guards and ran it behind center 132 times while the Bears ran only 88 times behind center.
The Lions ran it 167 times behind left tackle or around left end, where they had Taylor Decker much of the time. The Bears ran it the same direction only 72 times.
Look for Johnson to attack behind the best they have to block, Darnell Wright or whoever else the eventually can bring in on the offensive line.
#Bears RT Darnell Wright played looked really good through the first half of Sunday Night Football. He put together a handful of dominant reps and was doing a good job containing Will Anderson. There were a few losses in the first half, but he was winning the majority of reps.… pic.twitter.com/zYbai2GYK3
— Quinten Krzysko (@ButkusStats) September 17, 2024
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