One thing we can say for sure about new head coach Ben Johnson is he doesn’t do things by half measures. Most new head coaches would have their staff completed by now. That is not the case for the Chicago Bears. Though they have secured their new offensive and defensive coordinators, they remain methodical in their approach at other assistant positions. This is especially true on the offensive and defensive lines. While Dan Roushar remains the favorite for the offensive side, the Bears have remained a mystery as to who Travis Smith’s replacement will be on defense.
It initially looked like it would be long-time veteran Bill Johnson, but that was debunked as he’s earmarked for another spot on the staff. Finally, the first real name surfaced via Matt Zenitz of 247sports. Chicago plans to meet with Florida defensive line coach Gerald Chatman. The 36-year-old has been ascending the college ranks over the past several years. He first emerged on the scene as the defensive line coach at Butler University, where his unit had 25 sacks in 11 games, second-best in the conference.
The Chicago Bears’ interest in Chatman is justified.
He kept climbing the ladder from there. He helped develop Myles Garrett at Texas A&M in 2015 while also interning with the Green Bay Packers. A year later, he did the same with the Denver Broncos. That was enough to earn him an assistant position with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 and 2020. After brief stints with LSU and Colorado, he got his first real break in 2023 as Tulane’s defensive line coach. His unit had 27 sacks that season. The defense as a whole had 24 the previous year. This success led to Florida hiring him for the same job. Once again, his impact was immediate. The defense had 39 sacks on the season after just 22 the previous year despite losing prized 1st round talent Princely Umanmielen to the transfer portal.
This shows that Johnson has been doing his homework. It would be easy to just seek out the buzziest names and bring them in. Instead, the Chicago Bears head coach is taking the time to identify guys who are both qualified and fit the vision he and new coordinator Dennis Allen have for that side of the ball. Chatman has NFL experience. He seems to have success everywhere he goes. Florida fans aren’t happy about the idea of losing him. Everything points to this being a strong move.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
