The Chicago Bears fired their offensive coordinator Shane Waldron recently less than a year of holding the position under head coach Matt Eberflus after an up-and-down start to the 2024 season. In the interim, the Bears promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown as the OC to see if things will improve for the remainder of the season.
Brown will have the first shot at cementing himself as the team's next offensive coordinator if the Bears decide to hang onto Eberflus as a head coach, but the franchise could also look elsewhere for a replacement and that is where Bleacher Report's Alex Kay thinks that current Houston Texans quarterbacks coach, Jerrod Johnson, could make a lot of sense.
"Johnson was instrumental in C.J. Stroud's rapid evolution into a franchise quarterback, helping the No. 2 overall pick win Rookie of the Year honors and a playoff game," Kay wrote. "Johnson's work with Stroud earned him offensive coordinator interviews with both the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year. However, the 36-year-old opted to spurn his NFC South suitors and remain with Houston in 2024."
Johnson has been a quick riser in the coaching ranks since entering the league with the Colts and then joining DeMeco Ryans staff in Houston. After seeing what he was able to accomplish with Stroud in his rookie season it is hard to find a better replacement at OC for the Bears other than Johnson, especially considering that he would be getting Caleb Williams in just his second season as the starting quarterback.
"While Johnson declined to take the next step on the coaching ladder last year, he might be more receptive to an opportunity to get Williams' career on track," Kay continued. "Pulling that off would be a major feather in Johnson's cap and could put him on a short list of head coaching candidates for the 2026 hiring cycle."
If Johnson is indeed interested in continuing to move up the coaching ladder, then heading to Chicago would make a ton of sense for him as Kay explained. We have seen coaches go this route before and if Johnson can get the most out of Williams in Chicago then he could very likely see his name start to circle when it comes to landing an NFL head coaching gig later down the road.
The Texans will likely want to hold onto Johnson despite a slight slip in play from Stroud this year. Keeping the band together is always important but this is a business and these sorts of things happen. So, if Johnson were to leave for a better opening, the Texans would have to do their due diligence in finding a replacement that would benefit C.J. Stroud and his career in Houston.
