Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears know there are bigger fish to fry this offseason, so they have wasted little time in addressing two major needs that cropped up before the period even begins on March 11.
The Bears have endured multiple exits this offseason, two of which have been on Johnson’s coaching staff.
The vacancies created by those departures are no more.
Ben Johnson, Bears Fill Vital Void Before Offseason
Bears Promote Press Taylor
Johnson lost offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy to the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively, both to OC roles.
To fill Doyle’s role, the Bears rewarded one of their own.
“The #Bears are promoting passing game coordinator Press Taylor to offensive coordinator, giving coach Ben Johnson a new top lieutenant, per The Insiders,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on X on February 8.
“Taylor was an OC with the #Jaguars until 2024 before working with Johnson. With Declan Doyle in Baltimore, Taylor is the OC.”
Taylor has also spent time with the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia.
Taylor’s Jaguars offenses got progressively worse after his first season, when they ranked 10th in scoring and overall. However, he will not be tasked with calling plays as Johnson’s OC on the Bears.
Moreover, Taylor’s familiarity with the Bears’ offense and personnel is an underrated bonus to a decision that seemed ripe for an internal option.
Ben Johnson Completes Bears Coaching Staff Again
The Bears went outside to replace Bieniemy. They hired former Miami Dolphins RB coach Eric Studesville. There should still be strong synergy, though, given Johnson and Studesville’s shared time in South Beach, albeit quite brief at just one season.
Still, the Bears have done well to address their two most pressing needs before they can focus on their roster.
Taylor’s role will largely be administrative.
However, tight end Cole Kmet detailed how involved Doyle was, delivering halftime adjustments and, the veteran believes, helping plan the practice game plan. Those responsibilities could fall on Taylor or be dispersed among the other members of Johnson’s Bears staff.