Bears LB Devin Bush says what needs to be said about Ben Johnson’s offense and it should serve as a warning to the NFL
The Chicago Bears offense is expected to be even more lethal in the second season under Ben Johnson and new linebacker Devin Bush understands that firsthand after facing Johnson’s unit in the spring practice sessions.
The Chicago Bears had a strong offensive season in the first year under head coach Ben Johnson, who was everything that was advertised as one of the top offensive play-callers in the NFL.
Chicago led the NFC in rushing yards while having a dangerous downfield passing attack with quarterback Caleb Williams at the helm. Even that was just the taste of what this unit could become considering all of the inefficacies and the fact that it was Johnson’s first season working with those players.
Going into Year 2, Johnson’s offense will be even more lethal now that the players have a full season under his scheme and some new additions joining the group. Devin Bush, one of Chicago’s new linebacker additions, figured that out firsthand during OTAs and minicamp and came away with a strong warning for the rest of the league.
Chicago Bears LB Devin Bush explains what he saw from Ben Johnson’s offense during the spring
“This is probably the fastest I’ve been hit with a lot of stuff in OTAs,” Bush explained on the Bears Weekly podcast. “This has probably been the first OTAs where it’s like – okay I didn’t think we were running those type of plays until camp.
“I get why we practice in the back field now so nobody can see what we’re running. Ben’s going to give it to you. He’s going build it, make it, create a matchup, find the down safety, find your two-wide. He’s going to attack you in ways that, it’s obviously it’s a game-rep and game-type feel, so obviously you’re put in situations where you have to learn and adjust.”
Clearly, Bush had some strong respect for Johnson’s offense during the spring. When he returns in late July along with the rest of the players for the start of training camp, things are going to heat up even more between the offense and defense.
By the time the first joint practice rolls around Bush and the rest of the defense are going to have a sigh of relief to finally face off against a different unit.
Devin Bush explains all of the complexities that go into Ben Johnson’s offense
Bush is the perfect person to explain how Johnson’s offense looked in Year 1 and how it’s looking so far in Year 2. He was with the Cleveland Browns last season facing Johnson’s offense in the 31-3 loss in Week 15. Now, he spent the spring facing Johnson’s offense during every practice session.
“Last year, I remember going into the game and the one-two punch with [D’Andre] Swift and [Kyle] Monangai was just something that pops off the screen. Because it’s not like it’s a drop off when (Swift) comes off the field and Monangai comes back on. He can run the ball, they both can catch out of the backfield, they both can pass-pro, they can run inside the tackles and outside the tackles…
“Then you add in Colston [Loveland] and [Cole] Kmet to get into these big sets, you can run behind them or you can play-action and take them deep. Then, you got [Luther Burden III] on the outside, you got Rome [Odunze] on the outside, and then [Caleb Williams] just puts it all together. Ben’s just the mastermind behind it.”
Johnson’s play-calling and all of that talent overwhelmed opposing defenses and became a major reason for the team’s success last season. What’s really scary for opposing defenses is what Johnson plans to lean more into this year with rise of 3-TE sets and the addition of rookie Sam Roush to that room.
“As a linebacker, you get on the field and you get 13 personnel, you won’t be in a nickel package, for sure. You’ll probably be in bigger packages, so you probably have an extra D-linemen or extra linebacker on the field,” Bush explained. “Next then you know, they clap their hands and Colston’s lined up out wide and Kmet’s in the slot and another tight end is in the actual tight end position.
“You can run the ball, you can pass the ball, you can play-action the ball. You’re not just sitting there in 13 personnel saying ‘alright they’re going to run the ball.’ It doesn’t happen with those type of guys in this offense.”
That challenge alone puts immense stress on a defense before even factoring in the wide receivers or rookie speedster Zavion Thomas. It’s going to be a brutal offense for the league to go up against.
“You can never go to sleep with these packages as Ben’s throwing it out there,” Bush added. “It’s whatever he wants to do with these guys.”