First & Long: Bieniemy joins Ben Johnson’s staff, Hightower excited to work with Johnson, New staff impressed by Amegadjie

Chicago Bears’ new head coach Ben Johnson pulled off a stunning move by hiring Eric Bieniemy to be the team’s new running backs coach. Bieniemy spent the 2024 season as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for UCLA. It was his second stint with the Bruins and second college football program where he served on staff (Colorado from 2001-02 and 2011-12). He’s generally considered one of the best assistant coaches in the NFL. He could finally get that elusive head coaching job somewhere if he is successful in Chicago.

The Bears were able to pull off the coup of hiring Bieniemy because he has ties to GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren. The 55-year-old assistant previously won two Super Bowls as a coach with the Chiefs when Poles was an executive there. Bieniemy also was the running backs coach for the Vikings from 2006 to 2010. Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren was on staff in Minnesota at that time.

Bieniemy works well with unheralded and/or underperforming running backs. Charcandrick West, Spencer Ware, and Damien Williams all had career-best seasons with Bieniemy as either their running backs coach or offensive coordinator. He will also serve as a mentor of sorts to Johnson. Though Bieniemy has never had a head coaching gig, he has worked with Andy Reid, so his experience and wisdom will benefit Chicago’s new head coach.

If anything, Johnson is showing a commitment to the running game, just as he did with the Lions. D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson showed flashes at times but were below average for most of the season. A solid ground game will also help keep pressure off second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. Expect Chicago’s running backs to perform much better under Bieniemy’s leadership.

Give credit to George McCaskey, too. The team chairman gave Johnson a team record contract to coach the Bears, and though figures haven’t been released, Bieniemy will be paid handsomely, too. McCaskey’s commitment to winning is a refreshing change this offseason.

Bears News & Notes

• New offensive coordinator Declan Doyle is impressed with Williams’ arm strength and running ability.
• The Bears have three new coaches with previous offensive playcalling experience: Johnson, Bieniemy, and Doyle.
• Chicago owns the 10th pick in this year’s draft and could go in one of several different directions with that pick.
• Special teams coach Richard Hightower is thrilled to remain with the Bears and he’s excited to work with Johnson.
• Hightower is also grateful that he has a strong bond with his players.
• The Bears are considered the favorites to sign free agent guard Trey Smith…if the Chiefs allow him to hit the open market.
• Poles will undoubtedly look to improve the offensive line through free agency and the draft, but the new coaching staff is high on left tackle Kiran Amegadjie. The third-round pick from Yale struggled this season but is expected to challenge for a starting position in training camp.

There’s a Flag…On the Play

Is Marshall Manning going to be Chicago’s NEXT franchise QB? Let’s hope Williams makes that question irrelevant.

Just In: Peyton Mannings's son Marshall throwing DIMES at the Pro Bowl.

The Manning genes need to be studied.

🤯🤯🤯

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— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 2, 2025

Scout Team

• The American Team defeated the National Team, 22-19, in a thrilling finish to the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl on Saturday. Memphis QB Seth Henigan engineered the game-winning drive in the closing moments of the game.
• Henigan hit TCU WR Jack Bech for the game-winning touchdown on the final play of the game.
• It was a bittersweet moment for Bech, whose brother was tragically killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack.
• LSU DL Sai’vion Jones, Arkansas’ Landon Jackson, UCLA DL Femi Oladejo, and Central Arkansas DL David Walker were among the standouts at this year’s game. The Bears need defensive linemen, so keep an eye on those players. All will likely be Day 2 or Day 3 picks.
• DT Darius Alexander of Toldeo is another draftee whose stock improved this week.
• It’s also worth noting that Austin Booker would have been a first or second-round choice this year had he not declared for last year’s draft. Chicago’s line will be much better if Booker improves in his second year the way Gervon Dexter did this season.
• Ollie Gordon II may have been trying to impress Johnson in Saturday’s game. The Oklahoma State running back threw a touchdown pass to Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins for the first score of the game.

Film Room

No pass interference calls in an all-star game, huh? Great catch by Higgins, nonetheless.

OLLIE GORDON TOUCHDOWN PASS🎯

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— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 1, 2025

Northern Exposure

• Detroit: injured cornerback Carlton Davis is entering free agency and will probably be too expensive to remain with the Lions.
• Minnesota: The Vikings may deploy their transition tag to keep QB Sam Darnold for another year.
• Green Bay: This year’s Super Bowl matchup isn’t that bad, is it? I’m hoping for a Chiefs win so that the Packers are no longer the only NFL team with three consecutive titles.

NFL News & Notes

Chip Kelly is returning to the NFL as the Raiders’ new offensive coordinator.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was fined by the league for taunting Bills defensive backs Damar Hamlin and Cole Bishop in the AFC Championship Game.

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker continues to face allegations of inappropriate conduct. Nine alleged incidents reportedly took place between 2012 and 2016. Warning: The linked article includes graphic details that may not be appropriate for all readers.

Several NFL owners are hoping the league will go to an 18-game schedule in the next 2-3 years.

Commissioner Roger Goodell is considering an electronic system for measuring first downs as soon as next season.

Concussions were down this season, and the league is crediting players who chose to wear safer helmets.

Two-Minute Drill

A $20 million guard scares a lot of teams, including the Chiefs, which just may allow Smith to hit the open market. It’s easy to get excited by his potential acquisition, but let’s pump the brakes a little. In terms of total contract value, Ryan Bates is Chicago’s highest-paid lineman at $17 million over two years. Teven Jenkins is reportedly seeking $12 million per year after earning $8 million and change in 2024 and probably won’t return.

After two years, we can safely say that Ryan Poles is as risk-averse to signing high-priced offensive lineman as Jed Hoyer of the Cubs is with free agent relievers. Smith is a special talent and will easily be the top player available this spring if the Chiefs allow him to walk. Will Poles exceed his personal level of comfortability to provide Williams with the protection he needs?

The Chiefs could designate Smith with a nonexclusive franchise tag as a means of engineering a tag-and-trade scenario, as they did in March with cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. If he hits the open market, Smith is expected to earn a contract that pays him at least $23 million per season. It’s also worth noting that Poles was part of Kansas City’s front office team that chose Smith out of Tennessee three years ago. Adding Smith to the right side of the line with Darnell Wright would take a lot of strong-side pressure off of Williams and help to get Cole Kmet more targets than the 55 he saw this season.

Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

1. In the history of the NFL, there have been 127 drives in a playoff game with less than two minutes left and a team trailing by one possession. Tom Brady was 5-for-11 in those situations, and Drew Brees was 3-for-6. Patrick Mahomes has never failed in seven attempts.
2. Joe Burrow completed 460 regular season passes this season to lead the NFL. Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith tied for second with 407 apiece.
3. Joe Gibbs led three teams to Super  Bowl championships in ten years…with three different quarterbacks leading the team: Joe Theismann (SB XVII), Doug Williams (XXII), and Mark Rypien (XXVI).

From the Podium

• “[William] is a tough kid. You see it on tape. Obviously, the communication and all that stuff [is there]. But his second act, his ability to evade the pocket, his ability to create, is a special thing. It’s something that I got to see with Bo Nix in Denver last year. That ability to evade and put pressure on a defense and kind of be the eraser of game-planning mistakes, I think that’s really exciting about him.” – Doyle
• “I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else. Nobody motivates the team like [Hightower] does. He makes you want to run through a wall for him. I can’t wait to get back to work and finish what we started. I appreciate him for always believing in me.” – Jonathan Owens
• “I’m so glad we got ‘HT’ back. It’s easy playing for a coach who cares so much about his players and our success. He has a special way of truly getting the best out of us and makes Sundays special.” – Josh Blackwell