On paper, the roster Ben Johnson inherits with the Bears looks stronger than what he had with the Lions in 2022 when he became offensive coordinator. But the big question remains: can he make it work?

Bears GM Ryan Poles and new coach Ben Johnson collaborated to bring all this talent to Chicago. Now it’s up to Johnson to prove he can coach this group into a team with a better record—or maybe even a playoff berth.

There’s been plenty of chatter about how the Bears have stockpiled talent over the past two years, to the point where even average coaching should push them toward success not seen since 2020—or 2018, depending on how you view their 8-9 playoff season that year.

No fan wants to linger around 8-9 or 9-8. They want what Johnson delivered to the Lions.

It’s entirely possible he can do it again, and here’s how things stack up when comparing the 2022 Lions offense he led with the team he now takes over in Chicago.

Improved Receiving Corps

Johnson transformed a Lions offense ranked 25th in scoring and 22nd in yards into one ranked fifth and fourth, respectively, during his first year. He achieved this with a receiving group featuring Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kalif Raymond, DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds, Tom Kennedy, Quintez Cephus, Maurice Alexander, and tight ends T.J. Hockenson, Brock Wright, James Mitchell, and Shane Zylstra.

Brown was in Year 2, but Raymond had never topped 48 catches, and Chark hadn’t had more than 35 catches since his one strong season in Jacksonville. Reynolds peaked at 40 catches post-Rams, Cephus never hit 20, Kennedy maxed out at eight, and Alexander had one career grab. Jameson Williams? One reception that year.

At tight end, Hockenson was traded midseason, leaving Wright, who’s never had more than 18 receptions, as the top option.

Now, Johnson has DJ Moore, first-rounder Rome Odunze, and second-rounder Luther Burden III—once viewed as a mid-first rounder before his draft slide.

Olamide Zaccheaus has better stats than Raymond, and Devin Duvernay surpasses Cephus, Kennedy, and Alexander. Tight end Colston Loveland was their top prospect at the position, and Cole Kmet has a 70-catch season, 19 touchdowns, and an NFL-best 85.5% catch rate for tight ends in 2023.

Outside of St. Brown, this comparison doesn’t come close.

Running Backs

You could argue the 2022 Lions backs were better, but not by much. Johnson had Jamaal Williams, who averages 3.9 yards per carry and had a fluke 17-TD season—more than his seven other seasons combined. That shows how effective Johnson’s scheme really was.

The Bears now have David Montgomery—stolen from Detroit—and D’Andre Swift, who topped 617 yards only after leaving Johnson’s offense.

Even without a new draftee, Chicago’s backfield isn’t worse than Detroit’s in 2022. Kyle Monangai and Ian Wheeler remain unknowns, but the potential is there.

When Johnson brought in Gibbs in 2023, it changed things. But in 2022? Not much difference.

Offensive Line

Detroit’s line is rightly viewed as elite in the NFC North, but back in 2022, it wasn’t yet a sure thing. One piece from that line, Jonah Jackson, is now on the Bears. Injuries forced Evan Brown—now a journeyman who’s bounced around six teams—to start at right guard.

They had stars in Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell, but Sewell was still proving himself after a mixed rookie year that saw him move around the line. Decker played just half the 2021 season and wasn’t a Pro Bowler until 2024.

The Bears could field a solid line this year. One of their guards is a multi-time All-Pro—more than any Lion from that 2022 line—and Darnell Wright has become a breakout tackle per PFF.

They’re not what Detroit’s line became, but matching its 2022 version is reasonable.

Defense Isn’t Close

This is where Johnson has a massive edge. Dennis Allen’s defense could buy him time to develop the offense.

The Bears defense showed promise last season before it got buried under offensive mistakes. It was fifth in pass defense pre-Hail Mary meltdown. Injuries—like those to Brisker and Billings—derailed progress, but they addressed depth by signing Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo.

Detroit’s 2022 defense? Worst in the NFL. Yet Johnson’s offense still lifted them to a 9-8 record.

Chicago’s defense entering 2024 is miles ahead of what Johnson had in Detroit.

Three Wild Cards Remain

The first: the division. Winning even one NFC North game is hard now. It wasn’t in 2022. The talent across the division is much improved.

Second: Johnson himself. Is he a better leader now than he was just handling the offense? We won’t know until he starts coaching games as a head coach.

You can safely assume he won’t burn clock with timeouts left or leave a defense exposed to a Hail Mary without preparation—basic issues from the Eberflus regime. But until you see that game management consistently, doubt remains.

Third—and biggest—is Caleb Williams versus Jared Goff.

Goff in 2022 was a two-time Pro Bowler, went on to a third that year, had started a Super Bowl, posted a 91.5 career rating, and completed 64.1% of his passes. He also had 69 career starts under his belt.

Williams? A blank canvas, one already smudged by Shane Waldron’s miscues and Thomas Brown’s attempt to fix them last year.

This single unknown looms larger than any other factor.

The Bears have the ingredients to be better than the 2022 Lions because of their defense and upgrades on offense.

But none of it matters if Williams scrambles around too much or refuses to let his playmakers handle the ball.

Even the best-designed scheme needs execution—and your quarterback is the ultimate executioner.