Earlier than the Chicago Bears selected Ben Johnson as their subsequent head coach, some members of the NFL group named the then-Detroit Lions offensive coordinator as the highest accessible candidate for this 12 months’s hiring cycle.
Nonetheless, 10 NFL executives and coaches polled by The Athletic’s Jeff Howe in the end ranked Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots as one of the best head-coaching rent of the winter.
“[Vrabel has been a] profitable head coach with bona fide management skill, which is underrated with the personalities in right this moment’s sport,” one unnamed govt informed Howe. “He’s actually organized situationally throughout the sport. His character suits the northeast, the place they’re going to run the ball and play good protection. And he has a quarterback (in 2024 rookie Drake Maye).”
Whereas Johnson obtained loads of reward for serving to signal-caller Jared Goff develop into a finalist for the 2024 regular-season Most Worthwhile Participant Award, the 38-year-old has by no means served as a head coach. He and Pete Carroll of the Las Vegas Raiders tied for second in voting among the many NFL insiders.
“I’m nonetheless unclear on the match,” one govt mentioned about Johnson accepting the Chicago job partially so he may work with Caleb Williams, the primary choose of the 2024 draft. “I simply suppose [Johnson] is intrigued by the quarterback and his bodily talent set.”
In the meantime, Vrabel went 54-45 and have become a one-time Related Press Coach of the 12 months Award winner with the Tennessee Titans from 2018-23. He guided that membership to one convention championship sport look, and it is believed he’ll deliver the kind of “hard coaching” the 2024 Patriots seemingly wanted after group proprietor Robert Kraft confirmed dwelling legend Invoice Belichick the door final winter.
Vrabel spent this previous season serving as a marketing consultant with the Cleveland Browns, and some assumed way back to final spring that group proprietor Jimmy Haslam seen Vrabel as an eventual alternative for Kevin Stefanski. The Browns caught with Stefanski although they completed the marketing campaign at 3-14, however one wonders if Haslam will remorse that call if Stefanski endures one other shedding season whereas Vrabel thrives in New England.
