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Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears might be missing the Detroit Lions after the kind of morning he had with Caleb Williams.
The Detroit Lions are in the midst of training camp, and they’re doing it without their previous offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson. Of course, Johnson is just a few hours away, with rival team the Chicago Bears, which doesn’t feel good to the Lions. Did he really have to go to a rival in the competitive NFC North? It hurts.
But, what doesn’t hurt for those who follow the Lions is seeing some growing pains over in the Bears’ camp. While we don’t wish ill will on Johnson, we certainly don’t want to see him and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams flourish at the expense of Detroit. So, maybe it’s okay to feel a little good when things go a bit sour for the Bears.
The Chicago Bears had their first official day of training camp on Wednesday, July 23, and spoiler alert: It did not go too great. The morning was kind of a comedy of errors, and it left some Bears followers perplexed. After this morning’s practice, Johnson may be missing his crew with the Lions.
Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams Take the Field
To kick off the morning’s Bears training camp session, Williams, right away, threw an interception to Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. That was not a great way to start practice. Then, looking at the offense in general, Johnson kicked everyone on the offense’s first team off the field after they were unable to get lined up correctly.
“The word ‘intense’ was used a lot this spring to describe practice and the shared mentality of Ben Johnson and his coaches,” Courtney Cronin of ESPN posted on X. “That carried over to Day 1 of training camp where the 1st team offense got thrown out of a drill by Johnson during a drill when they couldn’t get lined up properly. We saw that intensity on defense, too, when Dennis Allen had his players doing up-downs. Allen: ‘You have to pay the price. It’s a privilege to be in this defense.'”
Whether the Detroit Lions Should Start Celebrating
So, should the Lions start popping their champaign bottles and getting ready for another NFC North victory? Maybe, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In a piece published on Wednesday, July 23, for SideLion Report, Candace Pedraza notes, “If you had any doubts that Ben Johnson would be reconsidering his decision to join the Chicago Bears instead of sticking with the well-established Detroit Lions, let today’s news be your perfect opportunity to rethink that doubt.”
She adds, “Johnson might not be calling up Detroit to see if he can rescind his deal, but he has to be experiencing some light levels of whiplash going from such an organized offensive system helmed by Jared Goff to one that’ll need some tough love and heavy handed tweaking on his part.”
Sorry, Johnson, we’ve moved on. In all fairness, though, it’s understandable that Johnson wanted to finally take his stab at a head coach position. It’s just too bad that it’s with the Chicago Bears. It’s like seeing an ex with one of your big rivals.
Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson
