Ben Johnson gave Bears fans a little more than a preseason win Saturday. He gave Antwaan Randle El a real look at what life could be like if he keeps climbing the coaching ladder.
Chicago rolled past Cleveland 34-10 at Soldier Field, but the most interesting stretch came after the Bears were deadlocked 10-10 heading into the third quarter. Case Keenum replaced Tyson Bagent at quarterback, and from there the offense hit another gear. Keenum directed a four-play, 78-yard touchdown march that ended with a 49-yard screen to Salvon Ahmed.
That sequence wasn’t just a hot hand from a veteran quarterback. It came with Randle El running the offense for the final two quarters, and Johnson made it clear that was the point.
“If you noticed a difference in terms of offensive execution and it looked better in the second half, that's really because of Antwaan Randle El calling it there in the second half,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said. “I thought he did a phenomenal job with Case taking the reins and then transition on over to (QB) Miller (Moss) just to see how he was trying to stay in their wheelhouse.
He was part of the quarterback meeting last night, and we were talking about what was on the call sheet and their favorites and all that. And I think it was a phenomenal experience for him, and I know our guys rallied around that as well.
So, I’ll open it up from there.”
For Johnson, this was also about trust. He hadn’t called an offensive play against another team since the Bears’ 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on January 18, and preseason gave him a chance to get back into the flow. But he also used the game to give a colleague a chance to show what he can do with more on his plate.
“I think we might take a look at a couple guys here during the preseason,” Johnson said. “Last year, Declan (Doyle) had an opportunity in one of those games to do the second half.
So, I wanted El to get that chance and he wanted it too. I think he's an outstanding coach, and I think sometimes when you're put in certain position rooms, you kind of get labeled one thing or another.
Here's the thing about El, I think he's got a chance to be an offensive coordinator in this league. I think he's got a chance to be a head coach in this league.
I think he would do a phenomenal job in both those respects, and I don't know if he gets that type of credit around the league right now. So, it's a good opportunity for him to get some recognition.”
Keenum was happy to back that up. He threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns across three drives, and he liked what he got from the man calling the shots.
“For one, he liked to throw it. He told us he would.
And that was when the forecast called for a ton of rain. Which I don’t mind.
I like that. We know where we’re cutting.
They don’t know where we are cutting, but it felt comfortable. I felt like I knew what he was trying to get.
We call it ‘play caller’s intent.’ And he did a great job of, whatever the situation was, feeling it out and getting to a play that gave us a good chance to make plays.”
Chicago finished with 24 unanswered points in the second half and piled up 199 passing yards. For Randle El, it was a clean first step in a role that could mean more down the road. For Johnson, it was a reminder that leadership isn’t just about calling the next play yourself - sometimes it’s about handing the headset to somebody else and letting them show what they can do.
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