Bears HC Ben Johnson ranked as Top 3 play caller for 2025

As the hottest head coaching candidate of the past few cycles, it's no surprise that Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson earned that designation based on the brilliant job he did as offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions.

Under his leadership and play calling, the 2024 Detroit Lions offense:

Led the NFL in points per game (33.1)
Led the NFL in first downs per game (24.4)
Led the NFL in offensive touchdowns per game (4.0)
Second in the NFL in yards per game (415.7)

In recognition of these accomplishments, Johnson was named the 2024 AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year.

Now in his first year with the Bears, Johnson ranks #3 on PFSN's Top 10 NFL Offensive Play Callers for 2025.

Who you picking to call plays for your favorite offense? pic.twitter.com/aa1XgwA5Ho
— PFSN (@PFSN365) July 23, 2025

With it comes high expectations that Johnson can replicate his success in Chicago.

This is a very tall task.

Not only has the franchise never fielded a modern NFL offense with a robust passing attack nor had a 4,000-yard passer, the 2024 Bears offense was disjointed, highly inefficient and anemic.

Under the direction of two play callers and two head coaches, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the highly-touted weapons around him managed to score just 18.2 points per game (28th) and generate 283.5 yards per game (32nd) last season.

Lions ranks on offense the past 3 seasons under Ben Johnson: 2nd, 3rd, 4th

Bears ranks on offense the past 11 seasons under (too many play callers to name): 32nd, 20th, 28th, 24th, 26th, 29th, 21st, 30th, 15th, 21st, 21st
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) January 20, 2025

Some of the most atrocious offense I've seen the #Bears ever play, and that's saying a lot.

Terrible timeout management. Terrible play calls. Terrible execution. Lazy play. Inaccurate throws. Bad OL. I've never seen a unit look so defeated.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) November 10, 2024

The great news is Ben Johnson loves a challenge. He chose to become the Bears' head coach and serve as architect and play caller for the brand-new Bears offense. In doing so, he elected to remain in the familiar NFC North, regarded as the toughest NFL division.

While the offense is built around Caleb Williams, it also features elements that reflect Johnson's offensive philosophy that made him successful in Detroit.

Fans should expect to see a balanced run and passing attack, significant use of play action, a lot of pre-snap deception and misdirection, a focus on generating explosive plays and an offense that won't look the same for every opponent.

Johnson's strategic game planning and adaptability are genuine strengths, even if they are talked about far less than the trick plays he's known for.

With Bears training camp underway, Johnson is currently leading his offensive players through the second iteration of the install which was first taught during OTAs.

During the first practice yesterday, it was far from smooth sailing for the offense. Williams threw an interception on his very first pass. There were also a few consecutive plays where the first-team offense had errors when executing the pre-snap operation. They quickly found themselves sidelined as a result.

Johnson is quickly establishing a culture of high expectations, accountability, and hard coaching with a focus on nailing the details.

Ben Johnson Threw The First Team Offense Off The Field In Camp Today And I Love It https://t.co/RkxAxEd1ma pic.twitter.com/L3aWkdIxqf
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) July 23, 2025

And this is exactly what training camp is all about. There will be very long days. Good days and bad days. Errors and corrections. Learning and growth.

We won't know how successful the Bears' offense can be until mid-season with enough games under their belt and time to gel as a unit. Even then, it's a temperature check against a very tough projected schedule. It's also a foundation to build upon this season and beyond.

We don't know where Johnson will rank on the Top 10 List of Offensive Play Callers for 2026.

But we do know that with Johnson's vision, talent and leadership, the Bears' offense — now with a second-year quarterback playing behind a significantly upgraded offensive line and throwing to even more dangerous weapons — is bound to finish 2025 in a much better place than it began.

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