Bear Digest

Bears first-rounder who'd let Ben Johnson display his creative side

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson has the reputation as a super play-calling genius and there might not be a better player in the draft than one at No. 10 who could let him do this.

Gene Chamberlain

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero interviews Bears coach Ben Johnson at the NFL Scouting Combine.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero interviews Bears coach Ben Johnson at the NFL Scouting Combine. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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With the Bears' starting offensive line rebuilt for 2025 purposes and the defensive line also addressed, it's highly possible running back would be a Bears pursuit early in the draft.

Best player available still holds true or they wouldn't do draft big boards. The Bears might be looking at this option if an obvious need at running back is unavailable to them, and that would be Ashton Jeanty.

It could turn out their best available player No. 10 is a tight end, of all positions. Penn State's Tyler Warren has wowed scouts over the last year but this is a position many teams have considered best for after Round 1.

Then came Brock Bowers and 112 rookie receptions as the No. 13 pick with the Raiders.

Now Warren is being mentioned among the top draft analysts as a possible top-10 pick, or at least in the vicinity where the Raiders took Bowers.

Considering the Bears have Cole Kmet under contract through 2027, and there really isn't  good out in the contact until after June 1 if he's cut, a tight end doesn't seem like a big priority for them for Round 1.

Coach Ben Johnson has been nothing but complimentary of Kmet's abilities and their sixth-year tight end is coming off a season when his catch total decreased but his reception percentage improved to 85.5%, No. 1 in the NFL among qualifying tight end.

It doesn't mean they could look the other way and take another position or trade back if they reached No. 10 with Jeanty gone and no other available option rated near this spot on their big board.

There are three reasons tight end and Warren could be their choice in Round 1 and they are Ben Johnson, Ben Johnson and Ben Johnson.

Actually, it's just multiple reasons related to their head coach. And Warren matters, too.

1. Ben Johnson Super Genius

Johnson's ability to scheme up new and interesting ways to use players according to their skill sets are well known after three years as Lions offensive coordinator with an attack ranked fifth in scoring in 2022 and 2023 and first last year.

Think of the things he could do with a tight end who finished the highest someone at his position has in Heisman voting since 1977. That includes Bower. Athletic, big at 6-5 1/2, 256 and fast, Johnson could design up something related to two-tight end packages or 12-personnel as the coaching heads now likes to call it.

Johnson's lines lined up in 12-personnel last year 32.2% of plays, the third-highest total in the league. It's much easier to line up this way with two real threats as targets than if one is a lesser talent. Durham Smythe is known as a good blocker and he could have been the Bears' blocking tight end. The other starting tight end besides Kmet might be Warren. The targeting possibilities are endless with players of this size and ability either blocking for the run or as pass targets.

Lining up two good-sized tight ends who are pass-catching threats but also blockers lets them execute the running game almost like they had two extra tackles on the field. Johnson had a reputation for running in passing situations at Detroit and this would really allow him to do it.

2. Ben Johnson Tight End Savant

It's not easy to get something out of young tight ends. This is a difficult position to play because of all the demands placed on the players both to catch passes and block. 

"Obviously being a tight end if you want to be a really good one, you're going to have to do both," Warren said at the combine. "You can't just go out and catch passes and can't just be a run blocker at that spot."

The demands in an NFL offense are much greater and frequently the top tight ends need a full year as an adjustment period.

Great players at the position like Zach Ertz, Dallas Goddert, Mark Andrews, Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez struggled or underperformed as rookies. None of them hit 40 catches in their first year. Trey McBride has 192 catches in three seasons for Arizona but he managed only 29 catches as a rookie.

If anyone should know how to immediately draw out the talent from a tight end as a rookie it's Johnson. He already did it as a coordinator.

In the last three seasons there have been 45 tight ends drafted but only Bowers, Sam LaPorta, Dalton Kincaid, Drake London and Cade Otton hit 40 catches in their first seasons. Otton barely did it at 42 receptions.

Johnson was offensive coordinator with a rookie tight end taken in Round 2, LaPorta, and transformed him immediately into a threat within the Lions offense with 86 catches, 10 for TDs, and 889 yards.

Johnson served as offensive coordinator in 2022 when the Lions determined standout T.J. Hockenson could go in a trade to Minnesota. Johnson obviously had input. He knew tight ends and how to use one and they were able to draft LaPorta.

If the Bears did draft Warren, he'd have a coach/coordinator who knows how to use his unique skill set.

3. The Skill Set

Johnson has said his offense will look different than in Detroit because the offensive skill set is different. He bends his offense to the talent at hand.

"What I try and do is be a guy that can kind of fit in a lot of different roles," Warren said at the combine. "I don't know if I have one that really sticks out the best. That's kind of fun about the tight end position is you get to do a lot of different things within the offense."

This is what is unique about Warren and something that someone with real offensive imagination will be quick to seize upon.

Penn State used Warren almost like he was a souped-up or tight end version of Taysom Hill. He had 26 rushing attempts for 8.4 yards an attempt and also completed 3-of-6 passes with a touchdown. He lined up as a wildcat quarterback, lined up in the slot, lined up on the line of scrimmage.

Johnson's imagination would run wild with a player of this capability who is his size, and then the10th pick in the draft wouldn't seem like it's too soon to pick him.

Sure, Johnson could probably do something excellent with a second- or third-round receiving tight end to complement Kmet, like Oregon's Terrance Ferguson. The Bears had a combine interview with Ferguson.

They could really do something with a big, fast, pass-catching tight end who also runs out of the wildcat, takes snaps on sneak plays and is basically an all-around threat like Bowers.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.