Zac Taylor became the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019. From there, he set about building a competitive football team. That meant first constructing a coaching staff that could properly develop players. He had plenty of names in mind. One of the biggest fish he hoped to catch was a young assistant named Ben Johnson. Taylor had worked with him for a few years in Miami. The head coach developed a healthy respect for Johnson's intelligence, drive, and capability. There was one problem.
The Detroit Lions had already scooped up Johnson as an offensive quality control coach. That didn't deter Taylor. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bengals head coach spent the next couple of years seeking any possible way to lure Johnson to Cincinnati. One of his methods included hiring him as a top defensive position coach just to get him in the building. Unfortunately, the Lions recognized what they had pretty fast. Johnson was promoted to tight ends coach in 2020 and was their offensive coordinator by 2022.
Hearing such a story and how desperate Taylor was illustrates how incredibly lucky the Bears were to land Johnson as head coach. People knew even back then the guy had the goods.
Ben Johnson was worth the wait.
For many years, the Bears have been an organization stuck in their ways. Their head coaches always seemed to fall into one of two categories: a no-nonsense defensive specialist or a relatively unknown offensive name with a dubious track record. The one thing all of them had in common was that they weren't considered in high demand when Chicago gave them the job. Ben Johnson was different. He was the unquestioned grand prize of the coaching carousel each of the past two years. Every team wanted him. It would take a strong pitch to pull it off.
Somehow, the Bears put together a good one. They gave him a large contract, significant say on personnel decisions, and had a talented young quarterback for him to groom. It didn't hurt that Johnson was a fan of the city of Chicago going back years. Against all odds, he came here. The organization that was stuck in the past for so many years had joined the modern age by hiring one of the NFL's brightest young coaching stars. He already has them 9-3 with a humming offense.
Taylor knew what was coming the whole time.
