Ben Johnson Hypes Caleb Williams, 'Loaded' Bears Roster After Leaving Lions

The Chicago Bears officially introduced Ben Johnson as their new head coach during a press conference on Wednesday, and the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator had a lot of positive things to say about his new job.

Johnson hyped 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams as "a phenomenal talent" and added that there is "no doubt" that the first-year quarterback "played a large component into my decision."

Johnson also praised Bears general manager Ryan Poles for putting together a roster that is "absolutely loaded with talent already."

Williams also met with reporters on Wednesday and revealed his excitement over Johnson's hiring as well as some details on their initial conversation:

Johnson told reporters that he had long been impressed with the Bears and was eyeing them as a major obstacle for the Lions entering the 2024 campaign.

"Going into this season I felt like this place was a sleeping giant," he said. "I was personally more concerned about the Bears than I was any other team in the division."

Johnson said his message to his new players in Chicago is to "get comfortable being uncomfortable," because he plans on pushing them to reach their full potential.

"We are gonna push, and we're gonna challenge, and along with those high standards, there's also gonna be a high level of support as well," he added.

Johnson established himself as the most coveted head coaching candidate on the market by transforming the Lions offense into an elite unit since taking over as OC in 2022. This season, Detroit ranked first in the NFL with 33.2 points per game and second with 409.5 total yards per game.

The 38-year-old will be taking over a Chicago unit that was at the opposite end of the spectrum, as it ranked last in the league with 284.6 total yards per game and 27th with 18.2 points per game. When asked about building the offense with his new team, Johnson told reporters, "It's not going to look like it did in Detroit" because of the "completely different" personnel in Chicago.

While it won't be easy to go up against the Lions twice a year, Johnson joked that the opportunity to remain in the NFC North was still appealing because he can continue beating up on the Green Bay Packers.

"To quite frank with you, I kinda enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year," he said.