A Year 2 bump for Bears' offense? This time for sure

It's forgettable now, but in 1999, Bears offensive coordinator Gary Crowton created a Ben Johnson-level excitement about the Bears' offense.

With Crowton's inventive, screen-heavy passing game, the Bears improved from 23rd to third in the NFL in passing yards, from 21st to eighth in total yards and from 23rd to sixth in passing touchdowns. The Bears were still 25th in points scored, but the excitement of those pass plays and the potential for the Bears to have an offense rooted in the pass game like the Super Bowl contenders usually have — in that moment, anyway — trumped the red flag of an offense that actually scored four fewer points under Crowton than it did the previous season under Matt Cavanaugh.

It was just the start. Year 2 of the Crowton offense would be better. When wide receiver Bobby Engram moped after coming 53 yards short of his first 1,000-yard season, and six receptions short of Johnny Morris' franchise record of 93 in a season in 1999, Crowton was unfazed. "He'll get it next year," Crowton said.

It made sense at the time, but it wasn't to be. Crowton's offense bombed in 2000. A 41-0 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 2 marked the first time in Crowton's 19-year career his offense had been shut out. By Week 15, with the Bears averaging 13 points a game after a 28-6 loss to the Packers at Soldier Field in which Crowton's offense allowed more points than it scored with a Shane Matthews Pick-6, Crowton was gone — off to Provo, Utah after being hired by Brigham Young as head coach.

Quarterbacks coach John Shoop became the offensive coordinator, a career-boost that eventually landed him at North Carolina, where, as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, he mentored senior walk-on quarterback Ben Johnson in 2007.

And — in a roundabout way — the rest is history. With Crowton being a mentor to Shoop and Shoop being a mentor to Johnson, it's possible there are at least some Gary Crowton elements in Johnson's Bears offense today.

But between the Crowton and Johnson eras, the Bears had other Year 2 disappointments that turned revelations into dust:

• In 2013 under Marc Trestman, the Bears improved from 16th to second in the NFL in scoring — only to fall to 23rd in scoring in 2014 as the Trestman era imploded in dysfunction, with offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer leaking disparaging comments to an NFL Network reporter and Trestman inexplicably benching Jay Cutler in Week 15 in favor or Jimmy Clausen.

  
  

• In 2018 under Matt Nagy, the Bears improved from 29th to ninth in scoring, only to fall back to 29th in scoring in 2019 as the Nagy offense was exposed as pretty easy to figure out, ultimately imploding in dysfunction before he was fired after the 2021 season.

So here we are in 2026, with the Year 2 anticipation higher than ever after the Bears improved from 28th to ninth in the NFL in scoring and 32nd to sixth in total yards in Johnson's first season. What can go wrong? As Bears fans know all too well, a lot, at Halas Hall.

The Bears have several obstacles in their way of Year 2 progress — typical NFL injuries, a first-place schedule and a shaky defense top that list. But the closest thing to a certainty at Halas Hall in 2026 is that — barring a disastrous injury — Johnson's offense will take the next step and avoid the pitfalls that Crowton, Trestman and Nagy could not. Here are three key reasons why:

Ben Johnson, head coach

He's not only an outstanding offensive coordinator, he's a better coach with a natural grasp of what it takes to lead a team and — most of all — manage people. Johnson already has unlocked the key to success with the Bears — he changed Halas Hall before it changed him. He's earned a level of authority and respect — with general manager Ryan Poles in more of a supporting role — that hasn't been seen at Halas Hall since the Ditka era, and maybe beyond that. Everyone above him seems to understand that their most important contribution at this point is staying out of Johnson's way.

Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator

He's not only an inventive play-designer who know who to get receivers open better than the others, but he has a better idea of what kind of talent his offense needs. Virtually every offensive player the Bears acquired for Johnson's offense last season over-achieved or was as good as advertised — tight end Colston Loveland, center Drew Dalman, wide receiver Luther Burden, running back Kyle Monangai among them.

And one addition who was an early bust — second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo — ended up being a starter and contributor to an improving offense. Trapilo not only lost a very winnable competition at left tackle in training camp, but was moved to right tackle — behind likely long-term stalwart Darnell Wright. But when he was called upon to replace Theo Benedet at left tackle, Trapilo at the least looked like the potential long-term starter the Bears drafted him to be. That's the kind of player development that can help sustain a good offense. No cause is lost.

Johnson is open-minded and undeterred by disappointment. With the Lions, running back D'Andre Swift became a discard in Johnson's offense in 2022 — losing his featured role to Jamaal Williams and ultimately being traded to the Eagles to make room for an upgrade in first-round draft pick Jahmyr Gibbs. With the Bears, Johnson gave Swift another chance, and it paid off. Swift had his best season in the NFL in 2026 — rushing for 1,087 yards (4.9 per carry) and nine touchdowns, with a career-high 86.6 yards from scrimmage per game. Every weapon in his offense has a chance to break out.

And perhaps most of all, Johnson has a finer appreciation for the importance of the run game in his offense (and a more hands-own approach in making it work) than his predecessors. With the help of proven players in Joe Thuney, Dalman and Jonah Jackson, the Bears still had four newcomers with Wright on the offensive line and improved from 25th to third in the NFL in rushing in 2025. Even with Dalman and Trapilo out, the offensive line and run game is lower on the worry list than it normally would be for the Bears. Johnson has had a quality run game (11th, fifth, sixth and third) in all four seasons as offensive coordinator/head coach in the NFL.

Caleb Williams

Far from a finished product, Williams in a formative stage of development is better than any quarterback the Bears have had since Jim McMahon, and maybe beyond that. He's better than Cade McNown/Shane Matthews/Jim Miller under Crowton in 2000; Jay Cutler under Trestman in 2014 and Mitch Trubisky under Nagy in 2019.

It remains to be seen if he'll be accurate enough to reach that elite level that makes a team a perennial Super Bowl contender. But even now, he's already proven to be good enough to lead a team to the playoffs and win a playoff game. He has a pretty high floor.

It's a critical year for Williams' development into an elite-level quarterback — certainly by the standards of the Josh Allen comp. This is the season Allen took the big leap — improving his nagging completion percentage from 58.8% to 69.2%, throwing for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns and finishing second to Aaron Rodgers for NFL Most Valuable Player in his third season.

And Williams has everything he needs to make it happen. Previous Bears franchise quarterback hopefuls seemed to have one issue or another holding them back — a weak receiving corps, an inconsistent run game, a substandard offensive line or an inexperienced or unproven coordinator. Williams has none of those issues. In Johnson, in fact, he has a mentor/coordinator/head coach with a stellar track record of success — the coach/quarterback pairing Bears fans have envied in opponents for years. This time for sure? Even if the Bears' offense doesn't take a giant leap in 2026, it should at least take a step forward toward the Super Bowl instead of the dreaded regression that left them closer to starting from scratch.

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