We kick off our final Chicago Bears round table before training camp starts!
A week ago, our guy Jacob Infante shared his superlatives for the Chicago Bears offseason on his Twitter page, and then he expounded on those selections for us a day later in this article.
Our Windy City Gridiron team wanted to get in on the fun, so we did our own version of his superlatives that we’ll roll out on a roundtable over the next six days. After checking out what we had to say, share your response in the comments section.
We were nearly unanimous on this first topic.
Best Move
Sam Householder: Hiring Ben Johnson. It was the obvious choice, the one that every fanbase hiring a coach wanted (as seen by all the coaching dominoes that began to fall after Johnson was hired), and it is the one that will have the biggest payoff. The Bears did the correct thing in the correct way. What a concept!
Jeff Berckes: Without a doubt, it’s convincing Ben Johnson to coach this football team. Not sure how much the annual trips with his wife to Wrigley Field helped sell the city to the Johnsons, but we might need to tip the ivy for landing the best HC candidate on the market. He’s a game changer – buy stock early, friends, you won’t want to miss this.
TJ Starman: If you’re asking what I feel best about at this moment in time, it’s a no-brainer: Ben Johnson being hired as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. This was the first domino to fall, which gave us some optimism throughout the offseason. If this hire hadn’t been made, it’s unclear if the fanbase would have had anything solid to feel good about heading into the season.
Gary Baugher Jr.: Ben Johnson. For the first time in my life, I can confidently say the Bears went after the top coaching candidate on the market and reeled him in. After seeing this franchise pass up bona fide coaching candidates over and over, getting the top guy for once just feels so nice.
Johnathan Wood: Ben Johnson. I don’t know what else could be the answer here. Johnson is the first offensive play caller with multiple years calling high-level offenses to get his first head coaching gig since Kyle Shanahan. In 8 seasons in San Francisco, Shanahan has fielded 3 top 6 offenses and guided his team to 4 conference championship games. Bears fans will certainly not complain if Johnson can come close to replicating that success in Chicago.
Josh Sunderbruch: The correct answer is hiring Ben Johnson.
Bryan Orenchuk: It simply does not get better than Ben Johnson. The net positives from a coaching standpoint alone are worth this selection, but he will also maximize the players on the roster for years to come. Assuming he continues to be everything he has been to this point.
Mongo Peanut: Ben Johnson. Nobody has a better chance to change the course of the franchise than Ben Johnson. Everything he did in Detroit and everything he has done since arriving in Chicago suggests that he can be a top-tier coach in this league. The Bears haven’t had one of those in the modern NFL.
Ryan Droste: This has to be hiring Ben Johnson. For the first time in my life as a Bears fan, the team actually went out aggressively and hired the number one coach available. It’s not guaranteed to work, but if it doesn’t, for once, we can’t blame Bears management. Absolutely everyone thought going into the offseason that Johnson was the best man available, and this hire could change the entire trajectory of the franchise for the next decade.
Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: I wanted Ben Johnson in Chicago following the 2023 season, so after a year of wishing the franchise would figure it out, there’s no other answer I can give here.
Donald Gooch: Trading for and extending Joe Thuney. Best guard in football – no brainer.
What do you think the best move of the offseason was?