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With Matt Eberflus now gone, the Chicago Bears will move forward with the aim of finding the franchise’s next permanent head coach.
The team named former offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as its interim coach, and Brown will lead the squad over its final five games of the 2024 regular season. He will very much be auditioning to keep the role, but the Bears are absolutely going to look outside the walls of Halas Hall in their current coaching search, which will extend into the offseason.
According to a December 3 report from ESPN insider Courtney Cronin, the Bears will give Brown strong consideration, and they also have their eye on two more offensive minds currently serving as offensive coordinators in the NFC.
“Two team sources told ESPN that Brown will be considered among the candidates in January as Chicago begins its coaching search,” Cronin wrote, adding:
“Other names the Bears hope to interview include Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Washington Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, the latter of whom interviewed for Chicago’s offensive coordinator opening.”
Bears May Want to Hire Kliff Kingsbury Due to His Caleb Williams Connection
Kingsbury was hired as the offensive coordinator for the Commanders in 2024, but he has a recent tie to Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams that cannot be ignored here.
Williams and Kingsbury worked together during the 2023 college football season at USC. Kingsbury, who previously served as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2019-2022, joined USC as a senior offensive analyst under head coach Lincoln Riley.
In this role, Kingsbury helped prepare Williams for the NFL, offering guidance and sharing his experiences. Williams has since noted that his discussions with Kingsbury about football and his coaching experiences at the professional level were instrumental in the young QBs development.
“Talking about football, talking about experiences that he’s had as a head coach, offensive coordinator, things like that at the pro level is what I got from him,” Williams said in October, per ESPN.
“So many times talking about it, asking questions so he could give me great feedback on this next level that I knew that I was probably heading to at that time. That was big for me being able to listen to him and obviously build a relationship with him knowing the QBs he’s been around and similarities in some of the offenses that I’ve been in. It was great to have those moments with him. I think it’s helped me for these moments now.”
Under Kingsbury, the Commanders are currently ranked 5th in the league in total offense (377.6 yards per game), which is impressive — but not as impressive as what Johnson has been doing in Detroit.
A Closer Look at What Lions OC Ben Johnson Could Offer Bears as the Next Head Coach
Johnson remains a hot coaching candidate in the NFL, and for good reason. Under his guidance, the 2022 season saw the Lions finish fifth in points per game (26.6) and fourth in total offense (380 yards per game), also scoring over 30 points eight times that season.
The 2023 campaign further solidified Johnson’s impact, as the Lions finished with a 12-5 record. Their offense ranked in the top five again in several key offensive categories, including passing, total offense and points per game.
This season has been even better. The Lions have continued to excel offensively, leading the league in scoring (31.9 points per game), while currently sitting second in the league in total offense (395.2 yards per game).
Here’s a complete look at Ben Johnson’s coaching resume:
- 2009-2010: Graduate Assistant, Boston College
- 2011: Tight Ends Coach, Boston College
- 2012: Offensive Assistant, Miami Dolphins
- 2013-2015: Assistant Quarterbacks Coach, Miami Dolphins
- 2015: Tight Ends Coach, Miami Dolphins
- 2016-2017: Assistant Wide Receivers Coach, Miami Dolphins
- 2018: Wide Receivers Coach, Miami Dolphins
- 2019: Offensive Quality Control Coach, Detroit Lions
- 2020-2021: Tight Ends Coach, Detroit Lions
- 2021: Passing Game Coordinator, Detroit Lions
- 2022-Present: Offensive Coordinator, Detroit Lions
While Kingsbury has previous head coaching experience and Johnson does not, expect both to garner strong interest from Chicago in the coming months.
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Bears’ Initial Short List of Preferred Coaching Candidates Revealed: Report