One thing we've learned about new head coach Ben Johnson is that he's not afraid to take calculated risks on young, ascending assistant coaches. He already proved that when hiring 28-year-old Declan Doyle as the offensive coordinator. Now he's done it again with the Chicago Bears' defensive line coach position. Travis Smith was dismissed this off-season as the complete purge of Matt Eberflus' staff. After initially thinking his replacement was longtime veteran Bill Johnson, it was revealed that was not the case. Johnson was hired for another role. The name to eventually emerge was a relative unknown: Jeremy Garrett.
A former defensive lineman at Ole Miss, he broke into the coaching ranks in 2010. He bounced around the high school level for a few years before getting a shot at Vanderbilt in 2019. His impression drew the attention of the Cleveland Browns, who made him their assistant defensive line coach in 2020. A year later, in 2021, Myles Garrett had the best season of his career with 16 sacks and 33 QB hits. That success got Garrett his first primary defensive line job at Liberty in 2022. His impact was felt immediately. They posted 45 sacks that season, up from 37 the year before.
Again, he was promoted by taking the defensive line job at Auburn, where they went from 26 sacks to 31 and 66 tackles for a loss to 83. The Jacksonville Jaguars brought him in as their defensive line coach this past season. While the year was a disaster for many reasons, Travon Walker set a career-high with 10.5 sacks, and the team had 83 tackles for a loss.
The Chicago Bears properly operated off a recommendation here.
Garrett worked the 2024 season under Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Before Jacksonville, he was the defensive line coach in New Orleans under former defensive coordinator and head coach Dennis Allen. It would not be shocking if Nielsen told his former colleague that Garrett is somebody the Bears want to hire. He is young and has achieved results everywhere he's been, save for Jacksonville, and that is far from his fault. Having worked with Nielsen, he likely knows what Allen will want from his defensive front.
Garrett appears to specialize in teaching linemen how to attack, which is why his unit's sacks and tackles for losses spiked everywhere he's been. Allen said he wants an attack defense, which would make it easier to see why he grew intrigued with the young assistant. Having Johnson on the staff as a sounding board will also be a huge benefit. This will be one worth keeping an eye on.
