Ben Johnson's latest defensive coordinator option offers a completely different background but would reunite him with someone he coached with in Detroit
Ben Johnson is wasting no time when it comes to gathering intel on creating his first coaching staff with the Chicago Bears.No other coach has officially joined the team with him yet, but a few names have already been linked to his potential wish-list.As a first-time head coach, Johnson's staff is going to more important […]
Ben Johnson is wasting no time when it comes to gathering intel on creating his first coaching staff with the Chicago Bears.
No other coach has officially joined the team with him yet, but a few names have already been linked to his potential wish-list.
As a first-time head coach, Johnson's staff is going to more important than he will be when it comes to the team finding immediate success in 2025.
The first name that quickly became attached to Johnson's potential staff was former New Orleans Saints' head coach and long-time defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Allen built a strong and stout defense in New Orleans while serving as Sean Payton's defensive coordinator before eventually taking over the head coaching duties.
In terms of having a strong defensive-mind and former head coaching experience, Allen would be a strong candidate to join Johnson's staff and run the Bears' defense. But, Johnson is making sure he conducts a full search first.
"It's going to be critical that I hire people that are have some experience here in this league, and I can I can lean on and I can trust defensively," Johnson said during his introductory press conference. "There are a number of guys I want to talk to, and really it'll be predicated on who we decide to go with, what that defense is going to look like."
Clearly, experience is going to be one of the things Johnson is looking for in his defensive coordinator, but that doesn't just mean head coaching experience. And the latest name attached to the job confirms that.
According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the Bears and Johnson have request to interview Los Angeles Rams' assistant head coach and passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant.
Pleasant has been a rising name in the coaching ranks and being able to run the defense in Chicago under Johnson would be a major step up for his career. Pleasant re-joined the Rams in 2023 under head coach Sean McVay working with the defensive backs and handling passing game duties. In 2024, McVay made the decision to make him his assistant head coach on the staff.
Pleasant doesn't have any true head coaching experience, but it's only a matter of time until he gets that opportunity one day. His coaching history runs deep working alongside multiple notable coaches such as McVay, Matt LaFleur, Dan Campbell, Raheem Morris, and Jay Gruden.
In 2022, Pleasant overlapped with Johnson on the Lions' staff before he was fired after a 1-6 start to the season. Since that setback, Pleasant has been rebuilding his reputation among the coaching circles. During the preseason against the Los Angeles Chargers, McVay even let Pleasant serve as the acting head coach for the game on the field while McVay assisted from the booth.
This guy is definitely ready for this next step if the Rams allow him to meet with the Bears. From there, it'll be on Johnson to choose the best man for the job on his staff.
