The Chicago Bears are gearing up for one of the most important offseason in franchise history, where there’s plenty work to be done to get this team where it needs to be to compete next season and beyond. That starts with the search for the next head coach following the firing of Matt Eberflus this season.
There’s been plenty of discussion about what kind of coach the Bears should hire — be it an offensive-minded one to work with quarterback Caleb Williams or an experienced “leader of men” type to help retool the locker room culture.
For cornerback Jaylon Johnson, he understands the importance of Williams’ development and a stable environment and helping take this team to the next level, which is why he’s in favor of an offensive-minded head coach. Johnson cited one prime example of the organization failing another former first-round quarterback: Justin Fields.
“I stand on it – Caleb is going to need some stability,” Johnson told 670 the Score. “I know of course, throughout my career, quarterbacks haven’t had stability here in Chicago. I was here when Justin (Fields) got drafted, seeing everything he went through with different head coaches, different OCs almost every year. That’s not something that is ideal. Not to talk about old news, but I’m sure if Justin was able to have a certain level of stability with head coach, at least offensive coordinator, things like that, I think there’s a certain level of success with those top-level quarterbacks that get brought in here.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re drafting (No. 1 overall) or the last pick with Brock Purdy, if you don’t have any stability, if you don’t have somebody who’s going to be here for a long time that you can develop with and grow and learn a system, then it’s not going to be good for that team. At the end of the day, we all need a quarterback to lead our team and to put up points. I don’t think there’s any team that’s won a Super Bowl that didn’t have a quarterback to get them there. To me, it starts with stability and having a head coach or offensive coordinator that you can build with.”
Johnson believes that Williams should be involved in the hiring process to help find someone who can work with him, providing input on candidates, to help find the best match.
“I do think that Caleb should have some kind of input as far as who he likes,” Johnson added, “what he likes about them and ultimately the decision-makers have got to make their decisions.”
While Chicago will conduct a wide-ranging search to find their next head coach, the early favorite appears to be Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who has been linked to the vacancy a couple of times in the last few weeks. Johnson, who’s expected to interview for the job this offseason, has high praise for Williams, who he’s seen twice in-person this season.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Jaylon Johnson explains why he wants Bears to hire offensive-minded HC