Everyone asks about Caleb

Ben Johnson fields constant questions about whether he and quarterback Caleb Williams are in sync. Fair enough, that connection matters a lot.

But he's a run guy first

Johnson was, is and always will be a run-first offensive mind. He pours himself into studying and designing run plays with real craftsmanship.

Same rule as the passing game

For those run plays to click, Johnson and his back have to share one vision, exactly the way he needs it with Williams throwing.

The curious case of Swift

Detroit traded Swift away while Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator. Now he's an indispensable piece of Johnson's Bears offense.

Nobody explained the split

Neither man has said much about the 2023 parting in Detroit, and Swift is quiet by nature. Five seasons in together, they've merged mentally.

124 yards, three scores

Against the Panthers in a 59-37 win, Swift went for 124 yards and three touchdowns on just 18 carries. One of the top 10 games of his career.

Off-script, still right

Some things came up that weren't coached that way. Watching the tape, Johnson could see the open space Swift saw and understood the bounce outside.

“I would like you to cut it up there, but I see the [open space] that you're seeing.”

The back and forth helps

Johnson's view is that the more time they spend together talking through those reads, the better the run game gets.

“There's a lot of back and forth, and the more we're together and the more we talk through it, the better we're going to be.”

The numbers back it up

Swift ran for a career-high 1,087 yards last season and has started this one fast. Johnson calls his work ethic exactly what the Bears want to be about.

Skepticism was warranted

When Chicago hired Johnson in January 2025, the pairing looked shaky. In Detroit he'd already moved on to Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

A cloudy starting point

Swift made the Pro Bowl in his one Eagles season, then signed a big Bears deal under the old staff. Then came a career-low 3.8 yards per carry in 2024.

Get four and a half first

Swift ran too horizontally behind a bad line, chasing home runs. Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy sharpened him with a mantra: get 4½ yards, then look for more.

Willing to take the hard yards

Johnson believes every call can become a touchdown, and Swift now takes the ugly carries too. Against Carolina he lost yardage on exactly one run.

“He's willing to go for those hard yards.”

Paid and staying

Swift signed a three-year, $33.8 million extension starting next season, and said he was thankful to stick around and work alongside Johnson.

Trust is the whole thing

Cut for cap savings, Swift would have signed somewhere in a minute. He stays because he and Johnson can lift each other, which makes the bending worth it.

“I take a lot of pride in making sure my coach is able to trust me.”