Nobody has ever doubted that Ben Johnson is one of the top offensive minds in the NFL. He’s consistently proven it over the past four years, first as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator and now as head coach of the Chicago Bears. However, there is one persistent commonality between those two stops. Johnson enjoyed remarkable stability at the quarterback position. Jared Goff, a former Pro Bowler and #1 overall pick, never missed a game in their three years together. Last year, Caleb Williams, another #1 overall pick, didn’t miss a game as well.
Monday night against Philadelphia will likely mark the first time in his career as a play-caller that he works with a backup. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that many around the league are eager to see how Johnson handles it.
“It’s possible that the Bears have a different starting quarterback in each of the next three weeks, starting with Case Keenum on Monday night vs. Philadelphia. The Bears follow that up with a home game vs. the New York Jets and a trip to Lambeau Field for a divisional clash with the Green Bay Packers. Johnson has coached durable starting quarterbacks while a playcaller since 2022. Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff never missed a game during Johnson’s three-year tenure there, and this would be Williams’ first missed game. What he cooks up with a backup will only deepen the intrigue.”
Running the offense with a backup demands so much of the play-caller. They can’t use a lot of their usual stuff because the #2 guy doesn’t have the same capability as the starter. Mind you, many decide to run the normal offense anyway, damn the consequences. Only the best in the league craft game plans that maximize the backup’s strengths. It is what separates the good from the great.
Ben Johnson is about to face his toughest challenge.
He’s going into primetime against Vic Fangio’s vaunted Philadelphia Eagles defense with either Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum under center. Starters have enough trouble producing against that unit. What hope do those two have? That depends on Johnson. If you look at the men who are considered the premier play-callers in the league today, you’d be surprised by how each of them has handled situations where they had to play backups.
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Andy Reid is a solid 4-3 with Kansas City, including a playoff victory. Sean McVay is a pedestrian 4-6 despite having almost consistently loaded rosters. Kyle Shanahan started 7-26 before rallying to 26-38 thanks in large part to the ascent of Brock Purdy. The most impressive has to be Sean Payton, who is 12-8 in his career with backups between New Orleans and Denver.
| Head Coach | Record with Backups | Notable Backup Quarterbacks |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Reid | 3–3 (Reg. Season) 1–0 (Postseason) | Chase Daniel, Nick Foles, Matt Moore, Chad Henne |
| Sean Payton | 12–8 overall | Teddy Bridgewater (5–0), Taysom Hill (7–2), Trevor Siemian |
| Sean McVay | 4–6 overall | John Wolford, Baker Mayfield, Carson Wentz |
| Kyle Shanahan | 26–38 overall | Nick Mullens, C.J. Beathard, Brock Purdy (originally QB3), Mac Jones (5–3 fill-in) |
Johnson isn’t totally ignorant of his situation.
He saw plenty of backups work during his rise as an assistant in Miami and Detroit. He saw how it was done right with Matt Moore in 2016, throwing 8 TDs and 3 interceptions while going 2-1 in place of the injured Ryan Tannehill. Then he saw how it was done wrong with David Blough and Jeff Driskell in 2019, who went a combined 0-8 and threw 8 TDs to 10 interceptions. The separator between the two wasn’t difficult to see. Miami did a good job running the football, finishing 9th in the NFL. Detroit did not, finishing 21st.
Presuming Ben Johnson is as smart as he seems, he’ll understand the fundamental goal for this upcoming game. Don’t let Keenum or Bagent get into a situation where they have to throw the ball a lot. That is a losing proposition. Stick with the run, control the ball, and make their throws as easy as possible through play action, slants, and screens. It’s not flashy, but it works.
