Two Reasons Ben Johnson Could Win COTY Award and One Reason he Might Not

Aside from winning the Super Bowl, being named Coach of the Year is the greatest annual honor an NFL coach can receive. That is, unless the award recipient happens to be involved in an emotional entanglement with one of the esteemed Associated Press voters. Alas, a story for another day.

We've reached the annual season-long prediction season across the NFL landscape. NFL.com released its annual preseason picks for the yearly awards, and Ben Johnson was named runner-up (3 votes to Demeco Ryans' 4 votes) for Coach of the Year.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Johnson is also tied for the fourth-best odds (+1200) to win the honor.

Many believe the Bears are due for a big season, and there are a few reasons Johnson could reap the benefits. At the same time, one major factor could see him falling short in the COTY endeavor.

The Chicago Bears (finally) have the league's attention

Dec 7, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A Sunday Night Football camera is seen during the second quarter of the game between the against the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After years of being kicked aside as an afterthought, the Chicago Bears are going to be in the public eye A LOT this season. They have seven standalone games on the docket, including five primetime matchups under the lights.

The league clearly took note of their miraculous 2025 campaign, and they're hoping they can repeat it this season. While they'd be hard-pressed to match the same theatrics they pulled off last season, there is no denying their explosive offensive potential with their arsenal of skill-position players, especially with an offensive mastermind like Johnson pulling the strings.

The voters will have their eyes on Ben Johnson's Bears early and often in 2026. He might be able to win over a healthy number of them if the team can enjoy another highly successful campaign.

Caleb Williams.

The Bears can only go as far as Caleb Williams can take them. With him enjoying an electric sophomore campaign, the national consensus is that he could take them pretty far. Like, shooting for the stars, far.

While Williams might be the one on the weekly highlight reel, Johnson will receive exactly as much praise. That's especially the case with the Bears' signal-caller struggling to tread water during his tumultuous rookie campaign (as virtually anyone would've under the circumstances he was forced to endure).

They're tied at the hip in all aspects, and their success will be concurrent. If Caleb Williams develops into an MVP hopeful (he's currently tied for seventh at +1200 per DraftKings), then Johnson stands a strong chance of following his lead in the COTY race.

Why he might not...

Ben Johnson at the podium — May 8, 2026; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson addresses the media at Halas Hall before Rookie Minicamp. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It sounds simple, but the main factor that could prevent Ben Johnson from winning the award is the sheer number of coaches in advantageous positions around the NFL.

John Harbaugh (the betting favorite at +600) is a former COTY winner who is coaching a promising rookie QB in a giant market. Jesse Minter (betting runner-up at +1000) is taking over the proven winning organization that he leaves behind in Baltimore. Kellen Moore has a good chance to help New Orleans bounce back strong if Tyler Shough builds on his solid rookie season. Joe Brady has Josh Allen. Liam Coen is still motivated (mad) that he doesn't have Caleb Williams.

Between Johnson, Vrabel, Mike Macdonald, and Coen, the field was strong last season. It might've become even more stout heading into 2026.

Todd Monken and Ben Johnson — Aug 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken shake hands after a preseason game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Meanwhile, Johnson said it himself last month: The Bears are one of the league's top regression candidates this season. Not only do they play a first-place schedule in the league's most difficult division, but they've lost the element of surprise.

Sure, they're going to say that they still view themselves as the hunters. That's surely the mindset they're maintaining in the locker room, as well. That doesn't change the fact that every other team is hunting them, though.

They proved that they can hang with the best of 'em last season, and they displayed rare perseverance in the process. They're now one of the teams that other squads circled when the schedule came out. That makes things more difficult

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