Bar still set at 2022 Lions for Ben Johnson's Bears offense

Bears coach Ben Johnson — not surprisingly — said Friday that quarterback Caleb Williams and most of his offensive starters would not play in the preseason opener against the Dolphins. After the Bears' spirited joint practice against the Dolphins on Friday at Halas Hall, it's more clear than ever that the joint practice has become the preseason game for NFL teams like the Bears.

That said, it's clear the Bears' developing offense needs work and there's no substitute for the feel and the reality of an actual NFL regular-season game. Even a preseason game can't match that, but it comes closer than even the most spirited joint practice in training camp.

Be that as it may, it's almost certain that Williams and the Bears' offense will go into the regular season with token preseason snaps at best. It's almost a rite of training camp to ask if a Bears' offense under a first-year coordinator will be able to "hit the ground running." (For those keeping score at home, Johnson is the Bears' ninth offensive coordinator in the last 15 seasons, including head coaches as the coordinator.).

And more often than not, it's a struggle. The leader in the clubhouse is Trestman, whose highly anticipated offense in 2013 opened by scoring 24, 24, 27 and 32 points in his first four games — the only time since 1958 that a Bears offense has produced 24 or more points in the first four games of any season.

But the bar for Johnson in 2025 is set not at Trestman's 2013 Bears, but his own Lions offense in 2022. He inherited an offense that ranked 25th in the NFL in scoring (19.1 points per game) and got out of the gate in a hurry. The 2022 Lions' offense scored 35, 34, 24 and 45 points in its first four games. The Lions' averaged 34.5 offensive points in their first four games — something the Bears have never done in the 105-year history of the franchise.

It's true that Johnson had a six-year veteran in Jared Goff at quarterback to help the transition, but that only cuts Johnson so much slack. The Lions set up Goff to succeed by averaging 164 rushing yards and 5.9 yards per carry with seven total touchdowns in those four games — 181, 191, 139 and 145 rushing yards against the Eagles, Commanders, Vikings and Seahawks.

And they did that with an offensive line in transition. Center Frank Ragnow and left guard Jonah Jackson were the only starters in the same position as the year before (Penei Sewell flipped from left guard as a rookie in 2021 to right guard in 2022) — and Johnson was replaced by backup Dan Skipper after Week 1 after suffering a finger injury. Backup Evan Brown started one game for Ragnow and two games for right guard Logan Sternberg. So it wasn't like Johnson's offense was riding a wave of continuity.

Roster-wise it's a reasonable comp. Sewell was about to make his first Pro Bowl, but Bears guard Joe Thuney has been the best guard in football the last two seasons. D'Andre Swift is a wash. But Jamaal Williams was just a guy in 2022 until he rushed for 1,066 yards and 17 touchdowns in Johnson's offense. DJ Moore is more accomplished than any receiver the 2022 Lions had — Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kalif Raymond, DJ Chark, Josh Reyolds. St. Brown was coming off an impressive rookie season in 2021 (90 receptions, 912 yards, five touchdowns). But most of his production came after offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn was demoted and Johnson became the Lions' de facto passing game coordinator.

The 2025 Bears projected roster vs. the 2022 Lions roster when Ben Johnson was in his first season as the Lions' offensive coordinator. Who has the edge?

Therein lies one difference between the 2025 Bears and the 2022 Lions. Johnson already had worked with many of the players he inherited in 2022 and had a better grasp of what he had to work with. He had to learn all but Swift and Jackson among the starters from scratch.

Another factor to consider: Johnson isn't installing the same offense with Williams this year that he installed with Goff in 2021. "We're not starting where this offense started in '22," Johnson said on July 29, during the first week of training camp. "We're more complex. There's a lot more going on. I don't expect them to have it mastered and yet, they're really jumping in the deep end here and trusting the fact that we've got a plan in place. We know what this is gonna look like Week 1."

But even if the 2025 Bears can't quite match the hot start of the 2021 Lions, there's one factor still in Johnson's favor as a head coach of the Bears. The 2021 Lions were 1-3 despite averaging 34.5 points per game because the Lions' defense allowed 31.8 points in those four games.

Especially after an impressive performance Friday against Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins' offense, this defense isn't likely to allow 31.8 points in the first four games, or any four-game stretch this season for that matter. The 2021 Lions were 31st in the NFL in scoring defense (27.5 points per game). The 2024 Bears were 13th (21.8) — but they were fourth after eight weeks (17.0 points per game) before injuries to safety Jaquan Brisker and defensive tackle Andrew Billings and the haunting effect of the Fail Mary against the Commanders dragged the entire team into the muck.

That's another factor that favors Williams and the offense once the regular season begins. They're less likely to be spending all day chasing points and instead should have a chance to execute, learn and grow with the wind at their back. It made a difference for Matt Nagy, Mitch Trubisky & Co. in 2018. It has a chance to make an even bigger difference with Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams & Co. in 2025.

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