How Ben Johnson is Using the Bears' Preseason to Plant His Coaching Tree

The Chicago Bears got their preseason started with a bang, and even though they didn't play many of the starters, they still downed the Cleveland Browns for a 34-10 preseason Week 1 win.

After giving up 10 points to start the game, the Bears scored 10 in the second quarter to tie things up before ripping off 24 points in the second half. It's those second half points that are so interesting because they weren't exactly the doing of head coach Ben Johnson.

After the game, Johnson revealed to the media that he had handed over play-calling duties in the second half to wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El.

"I think he's got a chance to be an offensive coordinator in this league," Johnson said. "I think he's got a chance to be a head coach in this league."

It was a solid play-calling debut for the wide receivers coach. With Randle El at the helm, the Bears' offense put up 235 yards and 24 points on the board, and the unit did that without any starters on the field. Yes, it was only a preseason game and the Browns also did not have any starters out there for the second half, but most fans probably couldn't even tell that Johnson wasn't calling plays at that point, and that's a big compliment to Randle El's abilities.

Randle El had apparently been prepared for this moment, as he spent the previous night in the quarterbacks meeting to review the call sheet and the quarterbacks' favorite plays, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin.

This probably wasn't a one-time thing for Johnson, either. Cronin noted that Johnson might continue to hand play-calling duties over to other assistant coaches during the Bears' last two preseason games.

Offensive play-calling is vital to promotions in the NFL

Detroit Lions WR coach Antwaan Randle El against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is an offensive league right now, and it's become tremendously difficult to become an offensive coordinator or head coach without experience calling plays for the offense. But it's hard to gain experience calling plays unless you're already the offensive coordinator or head coach, creating something of a Catch-22 for assistant coaches.

This is part of the reason why this year's hiring cycle disappointed some people in the NFL. 10 head coaching jobs became available, yet only one minority coach was hired. Six teams hired coaches with offensive play-calling experience, while three other hires had defensive play-calling experience. If more minority coaches had this experience, some people say, then more of them would be getting head coaching jobs.

In the case of Randle El, calling plays for one half of a preseason game isn't going to get him a head coaching job, but it could come up in interviews for an offensive coordinator position, interviews which will serve as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

Ben Johnson's coaching tree is already throwing down roots

A true mark of success for an NFL head coach is to have a coaching tree, a network of head coaches and coordinators who got their big break as a member of your staff, and Ben Johnson's tree may already be throwing down roots.

The Baltimore Ravens hired Declan Doyle as their offensive coordinator this offseason after he spent last year as the Bears' offensive coordinator. It's a small promotion for Doyle, as he will now be calling plays for his offense.

The early returns are promising. In the Baltimore Ravens' preseason opener, Doyle's offense posted five explosive plays against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Giana Han of the Baltimore Banner — and this is just a preseason game plan, which means Doyle probably wasn't even using any of his good stuff. Ravens and Bears fans alike are looking forward to seeing what he can do in the regular season.

The Bottom Line

Ben Johnson and Todd Monke — Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Doyle continues to showcase brilliant offensive production in Baltimore, it won't be long before he's accepting a head coaching position, and Ben Johnson would then officially have himself a coaching tree. But he's already getting out ahead of the crowd by preparing more coaches to follow in Doyle's footsteps.

Perhaps we'll see quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett get a shot at calling plays this preseason. Barrett is a highly regarded coaching assistant in the NFL and giving him a little exposure could help him land some offensive coordinator interviews next offseason. Assistant offensive line coach Kyle DeVan is another name to keep your eye on, especially with how good Chicago's offensive line has been since Ben Johnson took over.

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