Ben Johnson isn’t the safe hire. It’s about time the Bears did such a thing: Silvy

LAKE FOREST – Applause filled the atrium.

When Ben Johnson walked into Halas Hall, he heard from boisterous Bears employees thirsty for success. And I’m happy to report that I’m willing to join them.

After months of hand wringing over the Bears, it’s time to give them a hand. They landed the hottest coaching candidate out there. The Bears wanted him, and he wanted the Bears. For a while, I was skeptical either was possible.

A much-needed win for Kevin Warren. One that Ryan Poles needed more. And one that George McCaskey didn’t stand in the way of with his wallet tightly closed shut.

The Bears are undefeated in 2025.

They finally found a way to beat the Packers in a dramatic last-second win. Now they did the unthinkable, coming away with the biggest prize in the coaching search by landing Johnson.

I keep telling myself not to celebrate offseason victories as we’re so accustomed to doing, only to get burned during the actual season. But the Bears deserve their flowers.

With Tom Brady and the Raiders stalking, Jacksonville willing to spend big money, the super-choosy Johnson took less than 48 hours after his postseason loss to say yes to the Bears.

I attended the Johnson presser at Halas Hall and was blown away by the new coach’s command. No script. No silly acronyms. Just a smart coach giving us his philosophies and why he believes the Bears can be good.

At one point, he looked directly at the players present and said, “Be ready to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” It was a great moment. He was already coaching them while meeting the media.

Don’t get me wrong, winning the press conference can get the juices flowing, but it doesn’t mean anything for winning games. That said, we know Johnson can coach offense, and Wednesday was a sneak peak that he can command a room and isn’t the typical Bears robot.

As I wrote last week, the Bears could’ve easily sold Mike McCarthy to the fan base.

It was safe. Offensive guy, Super Bowl champion, quarterback developer, program builder, and someone who wouldn’t rock the McCaskey boat. It would’ve been a solid double but a good chance the rally wouldn’t produce the ultimate goal of scoring a championship.

Johnson is the swing-for-the-fences move that we’re not used to seeing from this franchise, especially because of its conservative nature and his top-shelf price tag. Yes, Johnson ultimately could strike out like many other Bears coaches. But this is a gamble worth taking.

First, the Bears have never hired an assistant like Johnson. They rarely hire a coach whose specialty is offense, and when they have, Marc Trestman was a failed NFL coordinator who had to go to the CFL. Matt Nagy had called plays for only six games for the Chiefs. Plus, Nagy was calling Andy Reid’s offense, not his own.

Second, Johnson creates his own playbook and has called plays for three seasons. He built that side of the ball into what it is today. The Lions started 2022 with a 1-6 record. Since that time, Johnson has presided over an offense that has chalked up a 35-9 record. No, he’s not coming to Chicago with Detroit’s offensive line, but who better to help Ryan Poles build one than Johnson?

It’s been fair to wonder what exactly Warren has done for the Bears since taking over as team president. But the team did fire its head coach in season – a franchise first – ran a search without any candidate flying in economy, and paid top dollar for its new coach. You have to wonder if McCaskey was willing to do any of that if Warren isn’t here and Ted Phillips is. Now, if only Warren can pivot back to Arlington Heights and build a stadium where its supposed to be. He hinted on ESPN 1000 that it is a possibility.

Finally, the best thing I heard from Johnson as he walked into Halas Hall to that standing ovation was when he said, “Everyone get back to work.” He’s correct. As much as he was joking, now the real work begins. Print up the T-shirts: “Back to work.”

Poles did get major work done with the execution of this search, but if he doesn’t improve in the way he evaluates, drafts and signs players, the hiring won’t matter and he’ll eventually be out of a job. The offensive line needs four new starters. The defensive line needs another legitimate pass rusher. The Bears may have fewer blue chip players today than when Poles took over three years ago. How is that possible?

So get back to work. There’s a long way to go till we can say that the Bears are back, but this past week was a step in the right direction. It’s a leadoff home run, but the game isn’t won in the first inning with one run.

• Marc Silverman shares his opinions on the Bears weekly for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.