The Bears got the top candidate of the offseason
On Monday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero broke the shocking news that the Chicago Bears, who have run an exhaustive search with more than a dozen candidates, had managed to sign Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson before even setting up second interviews with candidates. Instead of Johnson going out of the division, the Green Bay Packers now have to deal with another club running the scheme that has sliced up their defense for several years.
Since Johnson became the Lions’ offensive coordinator, his quarterback Jared Goff was able to complete 135 of 195 passes for 1,331 yards, nine passing touchdowns and only three interceptions against the Packers over six games. For perspective, that’s a 97.2 passer rating.
On top of the passing success, Johnson’s teams in Detroit managed to average 135 yards per game on the ground against the Packers while he was their offensive coordinator. To say the least, the Lions had success against the team — posting enough points to win five of their last six matchups.
Apparently, the top defensive coordinator candidate that Johnson is eyeing is former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who runs a man-heavy scheme. While the Saints haven’t had the horses on defense to make the Packers pay in recent years, Green Bay’s passing offense has struggled against man coverage as of lately, in part because receiver Jayden Reed averages a full yard less per route ran when played in man.