Fantasy Football Impact Of Ben Johnson Becoming The Chicago Bears Head Coach

Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has finally decided to take a head-coaching job. He is headed to the Chicago Bears and will presumably have a huge role in overseeing the development of soon-to-be sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams. It seems like a match made in heaven.

Williams is full of untapped potential. He could very easily be molded into a stellar quarterback if Johnson is the offensive genius we all believe him to be. Of course, Williams is not the only party affected by this move.

Johnson's decision to move on from the Lions will certainly affect their offense. There is no lack of talent in Detroit. However, whoever inherits this job will have big shoes to fill and it will be difficult for them to even replicate what Johnson did. What does this all mean for fantasy football in 2025? Let's dive in and find out.

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pic.twitter.com/QOrKuenYK4

— DJ Moore (@idjmoore) January 22, 2025

Chicago Bears Passing Upgrade

The Chicago Bears' passing game arrow is pointing up just by the sheer presence of Johnson. Johnson has been the offensive coordinator in Detroit for the last three seasons. In that time, he has overseen a huge turnaround of the offense that has pitted it among the best in the league.

By contrast, the Bears have been inconsistent over the past few seasons. With Williams this past season and Justin Fields before him, the passing offense has been abysmal. Part of that has been a lack of weapons; however, this season there seemed to be a lack of solid scheme.

With pass catchers such as DJ Moore, Cole Kmet, and Rome Odunze in place, there is no reason why this team should not be able to take a huge step forward in the passing game.

The Bears have infamously never had a 4,000-yard passer. That feels like a streak that could end in 2025 with Johnson at the helm. Williams threw for 3,541 yards in 2024. He has the talent to be a high-end passer, but he is jittery in the pocket and tends to bail out prematurely.

Johnson made things easy on quarterback Jared Goff in Detroit by catering to his strengths in the play-action game. Expect Johnson to cater to Williams by moving the pocket and allowing Williams to use his feet and throw on the move. This will provide structure for Williams, which will ultimately open up the ability for him to make his spectacular splash plays at the right time.

If Johnson can install an excellent vision similar to other young offensive head coaches such as Sean McVay and Kevin O'Connell, the Bears passing offense should take off. Couple that with the likelihood that Williams should take a second-year step forward, and this could be an offense worth investing in for fantasy.

Bears Players Worth Drafting in 2025 Fantasy Football

The arrival of Johnson will bake a certain level of value into the ADP of the Bears skill players. However, the scar tissue of how this season went will certainly help keep those ADPs manageable.

DJ Moore

DJ Moore comes to mind as a player who could be a value this season. It felt like every pass to Moore this season was behind the line of scrimmage. Johnson will surely scheme easy completions for Moore. However, he is likely to do so in a manner that gives Moore a legitimate chance to run after the catch.

Cole Kmet

If you are reading this article, then the odds are that you know how well the Lions used their tight ends under Johnson. Kmet is an excellent athlete with legitimate pass-catching chops. Johnson should be salivating over this weapon.

Kmet may be the most valuable pick among Bears players this coming season. He should see a lot of work in the red zone in a Johnson offense and he already developed a decent rapport with Caleb Williams this past season.

Rome Odunze

The 2024 first-round pick started slow this season, but we started to see his high-end talent toward the end of the season. He finished the season with 734 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Expect Odunze to be a decently high draft pick in 2025 but both he and Caleb Williams could take a huge step forward this season. He is a player worth watching for fantasy.

Caleb Williams

Last but not least, Williams did not give us the dream rookie season many wanted. However, Williams was sneaky solid statistically. He only threw six interceptions and he reached 20 touchdown passes. If he can settle into a scheme that works for him, he has a chance to be a great player.

A bet on Williams in 2025 is a bet on Johnson. The other skill players in the offense have demonstrated they can provide fantasy value with Williams playing the way he did in 2024. If you believe Johnson can take Williams to new heights in Year 1 together, Williams could end up as a high-end QB1 this coming season.

Caleb Williams at the press conference today pic.twitter.com/9LpE6F94ZW

— JAY🤘🏽🐻⬇️ (@Directhim) January 22, 2025

Detroit Lions Offense in 2025

Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Johnson's brilliance has been quarterback Jared Goff. Goff has thrown for at least 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns in three straight seasons. He has also protected the football, and in 2024, he threw for a career-high 37 touchdown passes. The offense under Johnson has been built through the run game, allowing Goff time in the play-action passing game.

The Lions finished no lower than fourth in total offense in each of Johnson's three seasons at the helm. That is going to be difficult to replicate for anyone who comes to town. Additionally, the Lions have lost several other offensive staff members to coaching positions around the league, gutting their staff depth.

How the rest of the NFL is doing the Detroit Lions Coaching Staff pic.twitter.com/dukR5AJmj2

— Andrew Dombrowski (@misterandyd) January 21, 2025

The truth is that it is hard to say exactly what will happen to this offense. We saw the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles regress from their 2022 form after losing former offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to the Colts. However, the Buccaneers did not skip a beat under Liam Coen this past season after losing former offensive coordinator Dave Canales to the Panthers.

On the bright side, the Lions' offensive coordinator job is going to be extremely attractive to experienced coaches around the league. Even if a new coordinator can keep them in the top 10, this will be an excellent offense.

At the end of the day, you should still draft running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown as top options at their respective positions. They are talented enough to overcome offensive changes. Secondary players such as running back David Montgomery, tight end Sam LaPorta, and wide receiver Jameson Williams will be tougher to predict and we will need to wait and see where their ADPs settle in 2025.

"We got Dan. To me, he's one of the best head coaches in the league from leadership.... I mean he's smart, I feel like some people don't really know how smart he is."

Amon-Ra St. Brown believes the Detroit Lions are going to just fine with Dan Campbell leading the way ✍️ pic.twitter.com/fgwHEkcB9L

— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) January 22, 2025

For now, all we can do is hope that the Lions make a solid hire for their coaching void. Given the heights the offense has reached over the last few seasons, expect them to regress to some extent, even if only slightly.

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