The Chicago Bears cast their hooks in many directions this month as they navigated the waters of their coaching search. The team announced interviews with 17 candidates over a period of 12 days — from Mike Vrabel to Eddie George. And that did not include college coaches Matt Campbell and Marcus Freeman, with whom the Bears also reportedly had interest in meeting. It also didn’t include the rumored call they made to inquire about a potential trade for Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. In the end, the Bears wound up hooking the biggest fish in this hiring cycle, reeling in Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The news of Johnson’s arrival was greeted with an explosion of excitement from many Bears fans — plus a bit of understandable wait-and-see skepticism from others. Now it’s Johnson’s turn to introduce himself, to share his vision for the Bears and to detail why Halas Hall was the preferred destination for his biggest career leap to date. The curtain will lift for Johnson during a news conference Wednesday at team headquarters in Lake Forest. In the meantime, Tribune Bears writers Dan Wiederer and Colleen Kane analyze the hiring by weighing in on four key topics in true-or-false format. True or false? The Bears’ union with Ben Johnson is without question — as many around the league have said — a home run hire. Dan Wiederer: False. Maybe I’m getting too caught up in semantics here and not leaning into the significance of the Bears doing what it took to hire the top coaching candidate on the market. Because, trust me, I believe this is a fantastic hire at an important time for the organization. As I laid out Monday, the Bears made the biggest splash possible by uniting second-year quarterback Caleb Williams with an offensive mastermind and proven play caller who has a chance to lift the team to new heights. But the term “home run” gives me pause. It indicates undeniable success. And more than seven months before Johnson’s first regular-season game as a head coach at any level, that kind of declaration feels premature. For backup I’ll lean on former Bears great Olin Kreutz, who posted the following question on social media Monday: “Did we win the offseason again?” To which follower @BrianZisook promptly responded: “Three peat.” Indeed, Chicago has spent way too much time in recent years celebrating trades and draft picks and hirings and signings and far too little time enjoying actual victories. There have been only 15 of those in the first three seasons of general manager Ryan Poles’ tenure. So let’s reframe that declaration about Johnson’s arrival at Halas Hall. It’s a strong move by the Bears. It’s a gamble worth taking. It’s a move in which, if all goes according to both parties’ vision, a bright future of sustainable success will open in Chicago. But maybe we learn from this organization’s history of unfulfilled promises and wait for at least one run to cross the plate before we ignite the “home run” fireworks. Column: Let your imagination run wild, Chicago. Prospective new Bears coach Ben Johnson has big ideas. Colleen Kane: It’s OK for Bears fans to get excited about the possibilities Johnson brings to Chicago after he helped the Lions offense become one of the NFL’s best over the last three seasons. It’s OK to dream about what he can do to ignite Williams’ growth. And it’s OK to celebrate that the Bears made the obvious move for once in hiring Johnson. Given their recent track record, it was easy to worry that they might not do enough to woo Johnson or pick some offbeat candidate instead of one of the two most logical answers — Johnson or Mike McCarthy. But, yes, you’re right to suggest caution with that optimism. Johnson comes with positive reviews and results from his time with the Lions. But there are unknowns about how Johnson will handle the move from coordinator to head coach, how he will handle a market like Chicago, how he will fit with Poles as they build the roster. It’s all projection at this point. Given the unmet expectations from 2024 — and other recent seasons before that — the wait-and-see approach is almost always more advisable than making grand declarations about the Bears’ future. True or false? The Bears offense should expect similar results from Johnson’s play calling as the Lions received. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, left, talks with quarterback Jared Goff during an NFC divisional playoff game against the Buccaneers on Jan. 21, 2024, in Detroit. (Paul Sancya/AP) Kane: False. At least not immediately. A lot still has to unfold for the Bears in the months ahead — in roster building, in quarterback development — for Johnson to get the offense humming. In his three seasons as Lions coordinator, Johnson used creativity and detailed coaching to run a top-five offense in yards and points per game. I’m not saying he can’t get the Bears to a similar level. But every team is a different animal. The Bears have some good players alongside Williams, including wide receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. But they don’t have an offensive line that is equal to that of the Lions. They don’t have a one-two running back punch like David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. And while Williams has shown great promise, he’s a developing quarterback with a lot to learn. Johnson has a different task — and a different style of quarterback — in working with Williams than he did with Jared Goff, who was entering his seventh NFL season when Johnson took over as coordinator. So it’s reasonable to expect a growth period as Johnson and the Bears get on the same page. But should the offense be better than in 2024? No doubt. That won’t be hard to do. Maximizing Caleb Williams’ Year 2 growth is a ‘huge factor’ in the Chicago Bears coaching search Wiederer: Improvement should be the unwavering goal for the Bears offense in 2025. No questions asked. But enjoying similar results as the Lions right away? That’s a big ask. The Lions offense scored 68 regular-season touchdowns this season. The Bears had 33. The Lions averaged 33.2 points per game. The Bears scored 30 or more only twice. Goff threw for 4,629 yards and 37 touchdowns. Both totals would be single-season franchise records in Chicago — by a wide margin. Johnson’s magic touch — his creativity combined with his demand for detail-oriented precision — should get the Bears offense moving in the right direction quickly. And it would be both a surprise and a significant disappointment if Williams didn’t take a big jump forward. But you bring up the biggest and best warning for Bears fans getting out over their skis with their expectations for next season. The Lions had a much stronger and more reliable offensive line than the Bears have. Four of Detroit’s five starters are former first-round picks. The only one who wasn’t is left guard Graham Glasgow, a Round 3 selection. The Lions offensive line also is blessed with experience. Only right tackle Penei Sewell is still on his rookie contract. And he’s the best of the bunch. Building the line must be a priority and ultimately will be the key to unlocking an offensive world the Bears never have visited. But that process won’t be complete overnight. True or false? Johnson has something to prove in how he handles his introductory news conference at Halas Hall. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson addresses the media at the team’s training facility Jan. 11, 2024, in Allen Park, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) Wiederer: True. As I’ve said for weeks now, presence matters. Wednesday’s event will be Johnson’s first chance to showcase his ability to command a room, to articulate a vision, to demonstrate a combination of charisma and authority that must translate to his leadership of the team. While much of the NFL world waits to see how Johnson will handle the leap from offensive coordinator into the top chair of the coaching staff, the early prognostications are that he has the wiring and personality to handle it with ease. Johnson is known as an up-front communicator, a sharp teacher and an all-around engaging dude who can connect across many levels. His first meeting with the media will provide an opportunity to display little pieces of all of that. Don’t forget, it was Bears President/CEO Kevin Warren who earlier this month acknowledged the unique demands of this job. “This takes a certain kind of person,” Warren said. “I say this lovingly and with all respect, this is a phenomenal franchise. It’s a historical franchise in an incredible city. But because our fan base is so passionate, you have to be sturdy, you have to be disciplined, you have to be strong here in Chicago. You have to basically emulate what Chicago stands for.” Your move, Ben. Listen, I’m never one to crown or lampoon a coach based on his or her introductory news conference. But such proceedings aren’t meaningless either. So color me intrigued. It’s official: Chicago Bears announce the hiring of Ben Johnson as their new head coach Kane: I was glad to hear Warren make that acknowledgement during his end-of-season remarks because we have seen more than one coach and quarterback in Chicago get swallowed up by the public-facing pressures. One of former coach Matt Eberflus’ fatal flaws was that he couldn’t always own up to his mistakes publicly in the moment, and that contributed to a loss of faith in his leadership inside and outside the locker-room walls. I don’t really buy into wins or losses in coaches’ introductory news conferences either. One emotion-filled day won’t make or doom a tenure. But the day-in and day-out handling of a team’s messaging to the city? That is important. And it can provide a window into a coach’s communication skills within the team. Johnson has an opportunity to start that messaging correctly Wednesday. Let’s hear how he can sell the Bears future. True or false? The Bears’ next order of business is addressing the offensive line. Bears offensive tackle Braxton Jones is carted off the field after suffering an injury in the second quarter against the Lions at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) Kane: False. Before getting to player personnel, Poles needs to make sure Johnson has assembled a coaching staff that will maximize the roster the Bears have built. Related Articles Chicago Bears | Ben Johnson becomes the 19th head coach for the Chicago Bears. Here’s a look at how past coaches fared — and when they left the franchise. Chicago Bears | It’s official: Chicago Bears announce the hiring of Ben Johnson as their new head coach Chicago Bears | From George Halas to Ben Johnson: What was said about every Chicago Bears coach when they were hired Chicago Bears | Today in Chicago History: Super Bowl-bound Bears x 2 Chicago Bears | Column: Let your imagination run wild, Chicago. Prospective new Bears coach Ben Johnson has big ideas. The Bears need a strong defensive coordinator to take charge of a group that underperformed in some areas in 2024. Johnson needs an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach who will help challenge Williams, something the quarterback said he needs as he continues to develop. And Johnson needs an offensive line coach to help shape a struggling unit. Hopefully he already has a good start on that list, and we’ve heard names such as former New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen as a possibility for defensive coordinator. But after those names are in place, then Poles and Johnson absolutely need to figure out what to do about the offensive line. The only sure starter in place for 2025 is right tackle Darnell Wright. Left tackle Braxton Jones is recovering from ankle surgery. And the three interior linemen who started the most games — Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton and Matt Pryor — all face uncertain futures. Fixing the O-line is the top priority for the roster this offseason, once the staff is in place. 5 questions for the Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson, including staff decisions and Caleb Williams’ Year 2 Wiederer: Let’s circle back to the coaching staff for a minute. Head coaching hires always steal the headlines and create the biggest conversations. But often the hiring of coordinators and the assembly of a steady staff is just as important to getting a new program off the ground. It will be fascinating to see how Johnson’s staff comes together over the next several weeks. And I found it notable when Poles acknowledged earlier this month his desire to pair a first-time head coach with someone who has been in that job previously — which is where Allen comes in. Having a former head coach as an assistant can be invaluable in helping a new coach anticipate issues he might not otherwise have thought of or to offer aid in putting out fires that arise out of nowhere. Finding a group of assistants with a wide range of perspectives and experiences should be a priority for Johnson. Identifying coaches who can complement his strengths and mask his weaknesses also should be part of the formula. So let’s sit back and see what’s next.