Ben Johnson turned down the chance to become Carolina Panthers head coach on two separate occasions. Now, it sounds like he wants to mimic the team's approach in one critical area of the field.
Johnson finally took the head coaching plunge this offseason with the Chicago Bears. He felt like they had a legitimate quarterback in place with No. 1 pick Caleb Williams and some decent options on both sides of the football. However, there is one glaring flaw that must be resolved urgently if the gifted offensive mind wants to hit the ground running in 2025.
And Johnson is taking the Panthers' turnaround as a blueprint for Chicago's strategy where the offensive line is concerned.
Ben Johnson points to Carolina Panthers offensive line as potential Bears blueprint
The former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator mentioned the Panthers went speaking about his plans for the offensive line during media availability at the NFL Scouting Combine. Johnson highlighted Carolina's ability to find two tone-setting guards in free agency as an example of how things can turn around quickly. Something the coach is looking to emulate in the coming months to give Williams a chance to flourish with better protection.
"It's been done before. I think there are a number of teams who did that last year. The Panthers come to mind. They went out in free agency and got a couple of top guards and really changed the dynamic of their offense, and you saw them clicking there in the second half of the season."Ben Johnson
There's no doubt Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis completely changed the dynamic in Carolina. They brought a level of physical aggression and accomplished production in all phases that were sorely lacking previously. Once quarterback Bryce Young trusted them fully upon his return to the starting lineup, the improvements couldn't be ignored.
Ben Johnson's comp to the Panther's FA approach at guard last year was pretty notable IMO.
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) February 25, 2025
The #Bears obviously need 3 new starting iOL but Carolina swung big & landed two of the top iOL on the market. Let's hope Chicago can do similar in less than 2 weeks.
Dan Morgan took a calculated risk with his investments in year one as general manager. He focused almost solely on the offense, which led to significant defensive problems throughout the campaign. That will hopefully be rectified this offseason safe in the knowledge they have the offensive line in place if Austin Corbett and Cade Mays are re-signed.
Paying guards big money went against the grain to a certain extent. Teams tend to focus on the draft for long-term, cheaper options than spend lavishly on free agents. Morgan went the other way, realizing the need to get a genuine evaluation of Young through instant improvements with Hunt and Lewis — two players with proven production at the highest level.
If the Bears want to get more from Williams, they would be wise to adopt the same ethos. The Heisman Trophy winner flashed enough promise to suggest a profitable career could be in the offing. That doesn't come to fruition if Chicago cannot enhance a line that conceded a league-worst four sacks per game in 2024.
As for the Panthers? They'll be turning their primary attention to the defensive side of things after conceding the most single-season points in NFL history. But at least they have an exceptional offensive line to show for it.
Johnson wants the same. Whether the Bears grant his wish is another matter.