Ben Johnson is clearing the decks at Chicago Bears with reports emerging on Thursday that five coaches are being let go after his arrival from Detroit Lions.
Johnson left his role as offensive coordinator with the Lions to take over as the main man at Detroit’s divisional rivals and was unveiled to media earlier this week.
He’s not wasting any time in making his mark in Chicago, with the The Athletic reporting on Thursday that five coaches are being let go before Johnson’s anticipated selection of his own coaching staff.
Interim head coach Thomas Brown, who filled the void after Matt Eberflus was fired, is out the door with interim offensive coordinator Chris Beatty, who had also been wide receivers coach.
Offensive lineman coach Chris Morgan, quarterback coach Kerry Joseph and defensive coordinator Eric Washington are also leaving the franchise.
Johnson’s rebuild comes after the Bears finished the regular season last in the NFC North with a 4-12 record, in quarterback Caleb Williams’ rookie season in Chicago.
Ben Johnson’s Chicago Bears are letting five coaches go after his arrival at the franchise
Former interim head coach Thomas Brown is one of five who are leaving the franchise
After Week 6, the Bears were 4-2 for the season, so the 5-12 record shows just how dramatically the team sank after an encouraging start.
But despite such a disappointing season, Johnson is certain he has inherited a sleeping giant.
‘I know this is the toughest division in football right now,’ Johnson said at his introduction. ‘Going into this season, I felt like this place was a sleeping giant.
‘There is [sic] three teams that made the playoffs this year. I’ve got [a] tremendous amount of respect for the coaches and players in this league having competed against them for the last six years.
‘To be honest with you, I personally was more concerned about the Chicago Bears than I was about anyone else in this division.
‘Now there’s a number of reasons why that did not unfold, and that’s why I’m here and I’ll get to the bottom of that. We’ll see if we can’t get that corrected and cleaned up.
‘But I was very encouraged with what was already on the roster right here. This division, as hard as it is, I’m really excited about competing in it.’
It marks a swift turnaround for Johnson after his Detroit Lions team were surprisingly beaten by the Washington Commanders at the weekend, leaving head coach Dan Campbell fighting back tears as he spoke to the media after the game.’
