The 2024 season did not turn out the way a lot of people in the Chicago Bears front office or fanbase were expecting. Adding consensus first-overall pick Caleb Williams, the belief was that the Bears would finally have stability at the quarterback position and have an excellent year — the kind the Washington Commanders ended up having.
However, putting their misery behind them, Chicago has been hard at work to rectify their mistakes. And their first step in that process was bringing in Ben Johnson as the new head coach to mentor and potentially unlock the superstar in Williams. Immediately, Johnson has a fan in franchise legend Devin Hester.
Devin Hester All In on Ben Johnson
Arguably the greatest return specialist of all time, the Hall of Famer built an indelible legacy with the Bears during his eight-year tenure with the franchise. Earning four Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections in his career, he made the 2000s and 2010s NFL All-Decade Team.
His reason for trusting Johnson, however, isn’t just blind faith. It is the results he brought to the Detroit Lions during his time as the team’s offensive coordinator. Speaking to Kay Adams on the “Up & Adams” Show, Hester explained his belief in the new man in charge.
“I love that pick that they got the [offensive coordinator] from Detroit. That’s the type of offense we need. That’s why I say bring in another running back with this offense and the two or three you gonna have in the backfield, it’s gonna open up the passing game.”
The Detroit Lions offensive turnaround is why Devin Hester is all in on Ben Johnson as the Bears new head coach. 🔥@heykayadams | @D_Hest23 | @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/cgqYwpEaDZ
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 10, 2025
The model is clearly reminiscent of the one the Lions had with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, leading to the best offense on PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Meanwhile, Chicago ranked third-worst on the same metric.
“If he can bring in that type of offense, the defense will feed off that.” Given the history of the franchise in messing up quarterbacks by changing the men on the sideline, there is reason for skepticism in the Johnson hiring. But Hester is all on board.
“We talking about a team in the Detroit Lions, two-three years ago we didn’t really really pay attention to, to a team in the last two-three years where Detroit Lion stadium, the seats was filled 80% of the time.”
Comparing it to his own time with the Bears, Hester explained, “When I played in Chicago, the [Detroit] offense wasn’t that exciting besides Calvin Johnson. Now you can name four, five guys on their offense, right? You got the two running backs, [Amon-Ra St.] Brown, the other receiver. All these guys are making plays.”
For him, that creativity and explosiveness on offense is what is going to make Johnson a success with the Bears. “The offense that he’s running — he’s spreading the ball around, he’s utilizing the two running backs and the receivers are getting off — that’s what we need in Chicago.”
Already, Johnson has been hard at work to remodel the team in his ilk. Improving the offensive line, he has tried to replicate Detroit’s success by bringing in veterans Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman.
“If he puts up half the numbers, let’s say 75% of the numbers he put up last year, it’s a work in progress. In two years, you’ll see the kind of offense that the Detroit Lions ran.”
Going from one of the worst to even the middle of the pack would be a major step up for the Bears. But if Johnson can unlock that next level for Williams as he enters his sophomore season, it might just make Chicago’s 2024 dreams come true a season later.