Things couldn’t have gone better for Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson in his first season on the job. He fulfilled almost everything asked of him. He turned around quarterback Caleb Williams, delivered a top 10 offense, won 11 games, the division title, and a playoff game. His aim was to win immediately, and he backed it up. Now, excitement is building for what Johnson can accomplish in year two. Expectations are high. Players will be more familiar with the offense. The defense is younger and faster. Tougher schedule aside, there is lots of optimism.
However, Johnson faces an uphill battle. History hasn’t been kind to the Bears when it comes to head coach consistency. Of the 16 previous names to hold the job since 1920, five managed a winning record in their first year. Only three managed to do it again in year two. Hunk Anderson doesn’t count since he was technically a co-head coach. None of those three did after the 1950s. Having early success is one thing. Sustaining it has been another. Johnson would be the first head coach in 67 years to accomplish the feat this season.
| # | Head Coach | First Season Record | Second Season Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Halas (1920–1929) | 10–1–2 (1920) | 9–1–1 (1921) |
| 2 | Ralph Jones (1930–1932) | 9–4–1 (1930) | 8–5–0 (1931) |
| 3 | George Halas (1933–1942) | 10–2–1 (1933) | 13–0–0 (1934) |
| 4 | Hunk Anderson & Luke Johnsos (1942–1945)* | 11–0–0 (1942) | 8–1–1 (1943) |
| 5 | George Halas (1946–1955) | 8–2–1 (1946) | 8–4–0 (1947) |
| 6 | Paddy Driscoll (1956–1957) | 9–2–1 (1956) | 5–7–0 (1957) |
| 7 | George Halas (1958–1967) | 8–4–0 (1958) | 8–4–0 (1959) |
| 8 | Jim Dooley (1968–1971) | 7–7–0 (1968) | 1–13–0 (1969) |
| 9 | Abe Gibron (1972–1974) | 4–9–1 (1972) | 3–11–0 (1973) |
| 10 | Jack Pardee (1975–1977) | 4–10–0 (1975) | 7–7–0 (1976) |
| 11 | Neill Armstrong (1978–1981) | 7–9–0 (1978) | 10–6–0 (1979) |
| 12 | Mike Ditka (1982–1992) | 3–6–0 (1982)** | 8–8–0 (1983) |
| 13 | Dave Wannstedt (1993–1998) | 7–9–0 (1993) | 9–7–0 (1994) |
| 14 | Dick Jauron (1999–2003) | 6–10–0 (1999) | 5–11–0 (2000) |
| 15 | Lovie Smith (2004–2012) | 5–11–0 (2004) | 11–5–0 (2005) |
| 16 | Marc Trestman (2013–2014) | 8–8–0 (2013) | 5–11–0 (2014) |
| 17 | John Fox (2015–2017) | 6–10–0 (2015) | 3–13–0 (2016) |
| 18 | Matt Nagy (2018–2021) | 12–4–0 (2018) | 8–8–0 (2019) |
| 19 | Matt Eberflus (2022–2024) | 3–14–0 (2022) | 7–10–0 (2023) |
There is one thing Ben Johnson has in his favor.
He has a quarterback. Caleb Williams is easily the best signal-caller of any of the other head coaches who had opportunities to accomplish this feat. Matt Nagy had Mitch Trubisky. Paddy Driscoll had Ed Brown. Neither had the talent Williams brings to the table. As we all know, good quarterbacks make life much easier for teams from year to year. Williams cemented himself as one last season, breaking multiple franchise records while leading seven 4th quarter comebacks. The young man can play.
Ben Johnson will have few issues keeping that train on the tracks. He’s too sharp an offensive mind to do otherwise. No, the real deciding factor will be the Bears’ defense. It was among the NFL’s worst in most categories last season. Their only saving grace was leading the league in takeaways, a stat impossible to sustain for any degree of consistency. That means unless they improve across the board, they could be a much bigger liability than they were in 2025. Defensive regression was a big culprit for other coaches on the list.
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Johnson’s chances may come down to the season’s first leg.
Last year, the Bears overcame a 0-2 start to reach the playoffs. There is little chance that happens a second time. Most often, it is the teams that get out to good starts who end up making it to January. Johnson will have a major opportunity to do just that. Their first four games of the season are all winnable. Three will be at Soldier Field. Two will be against teams that had losing records last year (Panthers and Jets), and two will be against teams the Bears beat last year (Vikings and Eagles).
There is a world where the team starts 4-0, which would be enormous going into what is likely the toughest part of their schedule in October when they visit Green Bay, visit Atlanta, host New England, and visit Seattle. If the Bears can reach the Tampa Bay matchup at 6-2, they should be well-positioned to reach the bye week with serious momentum. Johnson showed last year that he understands how to keep things rolling when the team gets on track. That will be pivotal against the NFL’s toughest schedule.
