Bears HC Ben Johnson plans to add devious new wrinkles to his offense while players are away for summer break
It’s a copy-cat league in the NFL and Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson plans to pick the brain of one of his new offensive assistants during summer break to add some more exciting pages to his playbook.
The Chicago Bears wrapped up the offseason program last week and are officially on summer break for the next six weeks until training camp kicks of in late July. At least, the players are on break during this time.
When asked how much time he will take off, head coach Ben Johnson responded “not much” as he plans out the roadmap for team and offense over the next few months.
Johnson’s not concerned in the slightest about other teams “figuring him out” going into his second season leading the Bears and has some exciting new pieces on offense he got to start working with during OTAs and minicamp. He also plans to add in some exciting new wrinkles when it comes to his 2026 playbook using one of his new assistants.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson plans to pick Eric Studesville’s brain to unlock more in the run game
Johnson, as a play-caller, is known for his aggressive approach and explosive plays. In reality, what makes his offense so lethal starts on the ground and the way he’s able to weaponize his offensive line. Last season, Chicago led the NFC in rushing yards and was the only team to produce two 750+ rushing yard backs.
“Ben loves the run game, that’s his baby,” Bears veteran tight end Cole Kmet told Stacey Dales last week. “I’ve never been around a play-caller, let alone a head coach, that will do the run install. Usually that’s the offensive line coach or the run game coordinator. Ben takes a lot of pride in it and he wants to make sure everybody’s on the same page when it comes to the run game.”
It’s a quality in Johnson that actually enticed veteran offensive line coach Dan Roushar to come back to the NFL and join Johnson’s staff. Last season, the Bears benefitted as well from having a veteran RBs coach in Eric Bieniemy to help build out the run game.
This time around, the Bears have a new RBs coach in Eric Studesville. Another veteran mind who comes to Chicago after spending eight years with the Miami Dolphins. In that time, the Dolphins had a dynamic rushing offense, including the last few years with what former head coach Mike McDaniel was able to bring.
“This offseason (break), I’ll be able to deep dive into some areas of interest for myself,” Johnson told reporters on Thursday. “I was just talking with Coach Studesville upstairs and he’s got a wealth of experience from a number of different places. I can’t wait to dive into his cutups that he’s got for Miami. They did some unique things, particularly in the run game, over the last few years.”
What are some of the things Ben Johnson can look to pull from the Miami Dolphins run game?
To answer this question, I spoke with our A to Z Sports Miami beat writer and film expert Kyle Crabbs to see what kind of “unique things” Johnson can pull from Miami’s previous run game under McDaniel and Studesville.
“The Miami Dolphins run game has evolved over the past several seasons before Mike McDaniel’s departure, coming to a head in 2025 with an unpredictable and explosive scheme that challenged opposing defenses with unorthodox formations, misdirection, and perimeter speed.
The Dolphins often times lined up with several players in the backfield, including a jumbo offensive lineman and multiple offset backs to the same side as the quarterback. Preparations against Miami oftentimes still came up empty as the explosive speed of De’Von Achane made execution and angles a challenge.
The Dolphins’ offense under McDaniel put less stress on the interior guard play but instead often was able to tick as the tight ends and wide receivers were able to capture the edge in the run game. Short-yardage execution was a sore spot in part because McDaniel generally balked at big investments at guard.
By the time Miami adjusted, it was 2025 and James Daniels missed the entire season. If you can get a more well-rounded but still athletic group of blockers up front, perhaps you can marry the best of McDaniel’s creativity to a run game into something new.”