Matt Eberflus first caught Ben Johnson’s attention in 2018.

When the Miami Dolphins, for whom Johnson was the wide receivers coach, played against Eberflus’ Indianapolis Colts defense, it was apparent how hard Eberflus’ defenders rallied to the football. A year later Johnson joined the Detroit Lions staff and later found himself coaching against Eberflus twice a year when the Chicago Bears hired Eberflus as head coach in 2022.

“Make no mistake about it, it was one of the more challenging defenses we faced when I was in Detroit,” Johnson said Wednesday. “We’d struggle to run the ball at times. Really good red-zone defense.”

During his introductory news conference as Bears head coach in January at Halas Hall, Johnson had high praise for the defense Eberflus built. He said those Bears defe

See Full Page