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Latest 2025 NFL coach rankings slow the hype around Bears' Ben Johnson

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 12:47 PM ET

The Chicago Bears received high marks from almost every NFL media outlet this offseason after they hired Ben Johnson as the team's next head coach. But as 2025 training camp inches ever so close, the hype surrounding Johnson's hire must now turn into results.

Indeed, we won't know how well Johnson is doing at his job until the bullets start flying in September, but we'll get a pretty good vibe for how his system is taking hold inside Halas Hall over the next few weeks.

Until then, Johnson has gone from the belle of the offseason ball to prove-it mode in the eyes of NFL analysts. The latest 2025 NFL head coach rankings are proof of this, where Johnson checked in among the lowest-ranked HCs in the league.

Sure, it's reasonable. He's a first-time coach. He has no track record of success beyond being a fantastic offensive mind with the Detroit Lions. But there's a lot more to being a great head coach than calling plays, and that's the challenge that Johnson must prove he's up for in 2025.

"After years as the NFL's hottest coaching candidate, lending all kinds of aggressive play-calling to the rival Lions' turnaround, Johnson has the pieces to do something meaningful in Chi-Town," CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin wrote. "The key will be tapping into Caleb Williams' gifts while also keeping the gunslinger in check, which is a balance previous regimes couldn't manage with their own quarterback projects."

Much of Johnson's success will be defined by how big of a jump Williams takes in 2025, but if the Bears win a bunch of games while Williams goes through some growing pains, no one in Chicago will complain.

Instead, Johnson will be celebrated as a head coach who can win even in the most challenging situations. And if the Bears win games with Williams having a breakout season? Yeah, it's safe to say there will be some Coach of the Year votes coming to the Windy City.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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