Since being hired as the head coach for the Chicago Bears, Ben Johnson has been in the media for a plethora of reasons.
Whether it's the press conferences, post-game celebrations or simply because of how good the Bears have been under his leadership, the NFL is seeing a lot of Johnson.
Most fans know that Ben Johnson came from the Detroit Lions, where he served as their offensive coordinator. However, what might not be as widely known is Johnson's playing career.
AllSportsPeople has all you need to know about whether Ben Johnson played in the NFL.
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Did Ben Johnson play in the NFL?
No, Ben Johnson was never an NFL player. There wasn't much of a playing career for Johnson as he walked on at the University of North Carolina as a quarterback.
Johnson joined the Tar Heels football team in 2004 as a signal caller. He continued to work his way up; in his junior season, Johnson was promoted to third string on the depth chart.
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Ben Johnson football career
Ben Johnson's first stint with the NFL came in 2012 when he was hired by the Miami Dolphins as their offensive assistant coach.
From there, he worked his way up in the Dolphins organization until he was eventually promoted to wide receivers coach in 2018. Following his tenure with the Dolphins, Johnson was hired by the Lions in 2020 as their tight ends coach.
After two seasons serving in that role, he was promoted to their offensive coordinator in 2022, where he excelled for three seasons before eventually being hired as the Bears' head coach.
MORE: Why did Ben Johnson leave the Lions?
Where did Ben Johnson go to college?
Ben Johnson attended the University of North Carolina, where he was a walk-on quarterback for the Tar Heels. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in mathematics and computer science.
After graduating, Johnson would become a graduate assistant at Boston College from 2009 to 2011.
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