Bears' new coach Ben Johnson already remaking Chicago in the Lions' image
Ben Johnson didn’t just take a job with a divisional rival. He didn’t just take a couple of your coaches. He took your blueprint.
Turns out he wasn’t just the teacher in Detroit. He learned a few things here, too. Or at least had a few things reinforced. Like, the line of scrimmage matters and, whomever controls it wins.
Okay, so that’s not just the Detroit Lions blueprint. It’s the NFL’s.
See: Philly.
Also, see: Kansas City.
The homes of the last two Super Bowl champs. Yeah, yeah, I can hear the “buts!”
But Patrick Mahomes plays in Kansas City.
Hey, I’m glad you pointed that out. So, let’s consider: Mahomes has played in five of the last six Super Bowls. He’s won three. The two losses? The opponent had the better offensive and defensive lines.
Again, see: Philly.
Also, see: Tampa.
Both teams beat the Chiefs by pressuring Mahomes. Both teams protected their own quarterbacks – Jalen Hurts and Tom Brady.
Simple? Yeah, simple.
Still, too many teams overcomplicate the fundamental truth of the game. Credit Johnson for keeping it simple.
Yes, he recently waxed poetic about the advantages of a mobile quarterback as he did from the NFL combine a couple weeks back. Yet his offseason moves so far show what he thinks matters most: the defensive front, and the offensive front meant to protect the quarterback.
Mobility is nice. Protection is nicer.
Which is why Johnson’s new team, the Chicago Bears, remade their offensive line and fortified their defensive line. Turns out Caleb Williams needs time.
He should get more of it now that the Bears have added Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney at guard and Drew Dalman at center. Don’t be surprised if they add a tackle with their first-round pick.
Dalman, Thuney and Jackson are all upper-level interior linemen. And though the tackles remain a question, the thick of the line should help Johnson’s run-heavy offensive philosophy and give Williams much better protection up the middle, where it matters most.
Defensively, Chicago added defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. All of which to say is: the Bears are coming. How far depends on the leap Williams can take and the health of the big fellas up front.
Johnson saw what happens when a rebuild starts up front. He saw it work in Detroit. And he saw what happened when injuries took out the meat of one of those fronts.
Brad Holmes, meanwhile, doesn’t have to rebuild at the line of scrimmage as much as he has to re-double. So far, his moves have been modest:
He re-signed Marcus Davenport. He re-signed Dan Skipper. He re-signed Derrick Barnes, a linebacker who excelled setting up close to the line of scrimmage, so we’ll count him.
Clearly, Holmes has more moves to make. He’ll need an offensive guard to replace Kevin Zeitler if Zeitler doesn’t come back – he's a free agent. He needs more help at defensive tackle. To help hold the front down until Alim McNeil returns – the ascendant tackle tore his ACL in December, and to provide depth.
He’ll need another edge rusher. Or two.
Davenport is good when healthy. He hasn’t been healthy. Bringing him back is relatively low risk because of the money – one year, $4.75 million. But relying on him to play most of the season would be high risk.
As for other areas Holmes needs to address?
He already answered one of the most important ones when he signed cornerback D.J. Reed. The former New York Jet is a good cover corner with a penchant for pass interference penalties. But he won’t be much of a drop-off from Carlton Davis III, if at all.
The Lions need a No. 3 receiver, some more depth at safety, and will almost certainly consider more line of scrimmage help – on both sides – in the draft.
Compared to Chicago, at least so far, the Lions are playing it safe. Yet they don’t have near as far to climb. What they need more than anything is health.
That’ll hold off the Bears for a while. The rest depends on how quickly Johnson can apply what he learned in Detroit.
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