One of the best aspects of the Bears’ dominant win over the Browns has nothing to do with what happened on the field
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson had high praise for offensive assistant Antwaan Randle El and his endorsement should be something the rest of the NFL should take note of.
The Chicago Bears had a strong start to the 2026 preseason after putting together a dominant 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns with highlight plays on both sides of the ball throughout all four quarters.
It was the exact message head coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen needed to send to kick of Year 2 under their guidance. The Bears dominated their opponent and showed really promising things, which is something this staff would like to ideally do on a weekly basis.
The best part of Saturday’s game, however, had nothing to do with what happened on the field between the white lines.
Ben Johnson credits strong second-half t0 Antwaan Randle El running the offense
Despite scoring 34 points in this game, there was a point on Saturday in which the Bears were down 10-0 in the second quarter. Things really didn’t heat up for Chicago until the second-half, especially on the offensive side of the ball after scoring 24 points between the third and fourth quarter.
After the game, Ben Johnson gave credit to WRs coach Antwaan Randle El for the second-half performance, who took over duties calling the offensive side of the ball.
“I thought he did a phenomenal job with Case [Keenum] taking the reigns and then transitioning on over to Miller [Moss],” Johnson told reporters after the game. “Just to see how he was trying to stay in their wheelhouse. He was a part of the quarterback meeting last night – and we were talking about what was on the call sheet and their favorites and all that – and it was a phenomenal experience for him. And I know our guys really rallied around that as well.”
In the third quarter, Keenum took over for Tyson Bagent at quarterback and absolutely lit it up, which isn’t uncommon for an experienced veteran playing in the second-half of a preseason game. Yet, even when undrafted rookie Miller Moss entered the game, Chicago’s offense continued operating well against the Browns’ defense with two more scoring drives.
Good on Johnson giving credit to his assistant for that performance and giving him that opportunity in the first place.
Ben Johnson sends a message to the rest of the NFL with his ringing endorsement of Antwaan Randle El
It didn’t stop there with Johnson just giving Randle El some credit. He went further to explain why Randle El deserved his opportunity and why other teams in the NFL need to take notice of what he did on Saturday.
“I wanted El to get that chance. He wanted it too,” Johnson explained. “I think he’s an outstanding coach. I think sometimes when you’re put in certain position rooms, you kind of get labeled one thing or another. Here’s the thing about El, I think he’s got a chance to be an offensive coordinator in this league, I think he’s got a chance to be a head coach in this league. I think he would do a phenomenal job in both those respects. I don’t know if he gets that type of credit around the league right now.”
Randle El followed Johnson from Detroit to Chicago when Johnson was hired by the Bears. With the Lions, Randle El served as the WRs coach under head coach Dan Campbell and after taking a lateral position in Chicago, Johnson made sure that Randle El also received the title of assistant head coach. As a former NFL standout, Randle El has developed a strong relationship with his players and should be a rising coaching candidate in the NFL.
Randle El has not received that respect he’s deserved for what he means to this staff, the players, and the organization. Kudos to Johnson for taking the time to prop his guy up for a job well done. It’s the mark of a good head coach by helping develop the rest of his staff.
Will this one game lead to an OC or HC job for Randle El? Maybe not. But, Johnson is making it clear that it’s an opportunity Randle El deserved and made the most of. It’s also worth noting that Johnson showed last year with OC Declan Doyle he’s not afraid of letting his top assistants spread their wings. So, it’s not a farfetched idea to think Randle El could be the next assistant to leave Johnson’s coaching tree for a higher role.
