With the Chicago Bears officially losing offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to the Baltimore Ravens earlier this month, fans wondered how Ben Johnson would fill that spot on his coaching staff at this stage of the offseason.
Would Johnson try to find an external candidate to replace Doyle? Or would the first-year head coach take the smart approach by promoting from within the organization?
Johnson went outside the organization first, as Chicago reportedly requested an interview with Connor Senger for the OC role earlier this week. However, we didn’t hear much on that front. We also heard that the Bears requested an interview with Cincinnati Bengals WR coach Troy Walters this week, but he declined it.
After not making much headway on the external candidates front, rumors began to emerge that pass game coordinator Press Taylor could be an option for the OC role. Those rumors turned out to be true, as NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that the Bears are promoting Taylor to the OC role.
Ben Johnson Opts to Stay In-House with Press Taylor as OC for 2026 Season
Taylor joined Johnson’s staff last offseason as the Bears’ pass game coordinator after spending the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Taylor reportedly did a little bit of playcalling during the second half of games in his first year as OC in Jacksonville, but was allowed to be the full-time play caller in his last two seasons.
The Jaguars’ offense showed promise in 2023 under Taylor as they were ranked 13th in total yards per game (339.5) and ninth in passing yards per game (242.7).
However, things went south for Taylor in 2024. Jacksonville’s passing game averaged 204.5 yards per game (ranked 24th in the NFL) and 306.2 total yards per game (25th in the league). But part of the reason for the Jaguars’ struggles on offense was the health of Trevor Lawrence, who only played in 10 games due to injury.
That said, it ultimately didn’t matter as Jacksonville’s ownership cleaned house last offseason, leading to Taylor getting a fresh opportunity in Chicago. As the pass game coordinator, Taylor had the chance to work firsthand with Johnson, Doyle, and Caleb Williams.
The Bears’ passing game went from averaging 181.5 yards per game in 2024 (31st in the NFL) to being a top-10 unit this season (225.1 yards per game). That’s hard to ignore. The Bears also finished the regular season with 28 passing touchdowns (ranked 10th in the NFL).
Just like with Doyle, Taylor won’t have to call plays as Johnson will handle those duties. Nonetheless, the new OC will be tasked with helping install the game plan every week and making sure that this offense doesn’t take a step back.
All in all, it isn’t the most flattering hire for some fans, especially considering how Taylor’s last stint at OC went. However, one hopes that he learned from that situation in Jacksonville and can step right in to fill Doyle’s shoes.
At this stage of the offseason, the Bears wouldn’t have found that perfect outside candidate with every other team that needed an OC taking those guys off the board. Therefore, Johnson took the safe and wise approach of promoting from within as he likely hopes for similar or better success in 2026.