The Bears needed to hire a coach to support Caleb Williams. With Ben Johnson, did they achieve it?

Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown knew this was a risk.

His prized offensive coordinator leaving for a division rival? The Chicago Bears had not reached a deal with Ben Johnson last week, when St. Brown and his brother Equanimeous St. Brown hosted Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on their podcast.

But the rumblings were enough that Amon-Ra St. Brown joked last week: “Just so you know, I told Ben, ‘Caleb is f***ing trash.’”

“That’s all right,” Williams deadpanned in response. “What he does with that information, that’s all good.”

Amon-Ra St. Brown doubled down: “Caleb’s a diva. He’s a selfish motherf***er, wants to do everything on his own, thinks he’s the smartest guy in the world, not coachable.”

His brother rolled his eyes: “Amon, he’s gone. Say goodbye.”

By Monday, Johnson was.

The Bears reached a deal to hire Johnson as their next head coach Monday afternoon, according to multiple media reports including a post from the coaching agency representing Johnson. While the team has not yet officially announced Johnson put pen to paper, the pending marriage certificate seems to be a matter not of if but when. Bears fans have reason to celebrate.

Because while a front office whose words and actions don’t always align, citing different goals for its coaching search, the success of the Bears’ next hire will hinge most strongly on one facet: maximizing the potential of Williams, whom they selected first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The three offensive coordinators and two head coaches he navigated as a rookie stunted that goal. Now, a high-ceiling talent has the chance to recover and grow in his sophomore year.

Williams learned, through a tumultuous rookie year, how powerful stability could be. Hiring a head coach who calls plays, and thus won’t bolt for a promotion elsewhere, can create an offensive advantage. So yes, consider him a fan of the Johnson hire.

“Selfishly, I want an offensive-minded guy,” Williams told the St. Brown brothers, “so I can build with him and be with that coach for the next 19, 17, 15 years.”

What Williams, Bears offense might look like under Johnson

Just before he admitted he wanted an offensive head coach, Williams mentioned he wanted a head coach who is “strong-minded” and “a leader of men.” His franchise touted that emphatically during a head coach searching process that included interviews (some virtual, some in person) with 17 announced candidates.

But the Bears did not commit in recent weeks to hiring an offensive head coach. Team president Kevin Warren insisted it was important to enter the search undecided while general manager Ryan Poles declined to confirm hiring an offensive coach for Williams was necessary.

“For a young quarterback, obviously there’s an ideal fit, but at the end of the day, you gotta look at all the characteristics of what you’re looking for in the head coach,” Poles said Jan. 7. “And then you got to see what’s the best bundle of those to bring in the building. Obviously we’re talking about leadership, accountability, some of those important things that carry over regardless of what the situation is. Those have to be there. To ignore those just to go to the other side [of scheme strength] I think is a bad deal too.

“So really it’s the candidate that has the best collection of all of those things, and yes, the development of a young quarterback is gonna be a huge factor in that.”

Teams have learned the downfalls of failing to support a rookie quarterback, from Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence translating seemingly generational talent into average performance to the litany of quarterbacks the New York Jets have drafted and wrecked, either permanently or temporarily (welcome back, Geno Smith and Sam Darnold).

Williams completed 62.5% of passes for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions as a rookie. His 87.8 passer rating ranked 25th in the league. Williams’ attempt to make plays, paired with shoddy protection, led to a league-high 68 sacks for a league-high 466 yards.

With Johnson, the Bears hope they can protect Williams better and give him better schematic wrinkles to succeed. The architect of the Lions’ No. 1 scoring offense is no sure bet, but league sources expect a significant upgrade.

One former offensive coordinator, who’s now an NFC assistant, expects an uptick in play-action passes after the Lions ranked first in the league with 36.6% this season compared to the Bears’ 30th-most 17%. Williams could see more time under center, too, after the Lions ranked last with 16 attempts in shotgun compared to the Bears’ 37.

“It’ll be dramatic change,” the former coordinator told Yahoo Sports. “More of a pro-style deal than what they were trying to run this year. Gonna have to retrain the QB.”

An NFC assistant who has worked with a first-round quarterback pick expected some schematic continuity after considering the depths of coaching trees, and some zone-run influence overlap between Johnson’s time under Adam Gase and the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay, who influenced 2024 Bears coordinators Shane Waldron and Thomas Brown.

Williams is focused less on specific scheme and more on how a head coach can offer an edge or a disadvantage on macro considerations.

“So I can also learn and grow and things like that from him,” Williams said on the St. Brown Podcast. “[Someone who’s] good with the clock, good with helping control the game … helping find the right guys to help win championships.”

Ben Johnson answers some questions already — while others remain to be seen

Did the Bears find the “leader of men” they cited? It’s too soon to say.

While narratives surrounding Detroit didn’t knock Johnson’s leadership, his schematic reputation certainly supersedes word of his presence.

League perspective on Johnson’s readiness for the head coaching role is mixed.

Near-unanimous opinion says he’s a brilliant schematic mind who will be an advantage for any coaching staff. Six seasons in the NFC North will contribute to his game-planning edge as he stays in division with his new role.

How Johnson’s leadership strengths complement his creativity remains to be seen.

“He’s a phenomenal coordinator, he’s a phenomenal schemer, play designer,” one AFC general manager told Yahoo Sports on Monday. “And look, maybe you put him in a position where he’s like [San Francisco 49ers head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] where you’re like, ‘Hey, we’re really hiring you to be the OC-plus’ because he’s just that good at the role.’

“My inclination is that that’s gonna be a tougher transition for him in the head coaching seat. I think he’s probably smart enough to manage everything in terms of designing the offense and running the team so maybe it doesn’t end up mattering. But I would actually have some pretty significant reservations there with him.”

One key trait Lions players cited of Johnson’s personality is his intensity. While that may mesh with differing degrees of success across the league, Williams said he seeks that with the Bears.

Sure, St. Brown said in jest how difficult Williams is to coach. But the quarterback himself acknowledged he can be particular and wants a coach who will embrace that.

“A dude that’s got a fire to him,” Williams said. “I don’t want people [who don’t] have a fire. I think I’ve got a fire about me that certain people can’t coach or certain people can’t be around or it doesn’t work in that way. So I think that’s a big part of it.”

The Bears, with their hire, indicated they think so, too.