“Last year was pretty much an audition as far as I’m concerned,” Johnson said of Taylor Tuesday at the NFL Combine. “I was blown away with what he was able to do in the building day-in and day-out, things that maybe not everyone else could see. He’s very thoughtful, very detail oriented. For what we were looking for in that role, he really fits the bill perfectly.”
Last year Taylor worked closely with Caleb Williams, who set a franchise single season passing record with 3,942 yards and ranked fifth in the NFL with a 27-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The second-year quarterback helped the Bears rally to win seven games they trailed in the final 2:00—six in the regular season and one in the playoffs—the most by an NFL team since at least 1970.
The younger brother of Bengals coach Zac Taylor, Press joined the Bears in 2025 after spending the previous three seasons as Jaguars offensive coordinator. He had previously served as an Eagles assistant coach from 2013-20, winning a Super Bowl ring in 2017 as assistant quarterbacks coach.
“For offensive coordinator, we went around and we interviewed outside of the building,” Johnson said. “Certainly, we have a number of guys in the building that I feel very strongly about as well, not just Press. When you put a staff together, that’s really what you want to do is [ask]: ‘Can I picture some of the young coaches becoming position coaches? Can I picture some of the position coaches becoming coordinators and then possibly even head coaches one day?’
“I do believe we’ve got some guys that fit that mode on really both sides of the ball. I’m fortunate to have that on this staff. Press in particular was a guy that checked all the boxes of what I was looking for. He did a phenomenal job last year. He’s very smart, very detailed, did some things behind the scenes that people probably don’t realize, and I know he’s got the respect of these players.”
With Johnson calling plays, he looks to his offensive coordinator to be an extension of himself.
“I’m not in every single staff meeting,” Johnson said. “I’m not in every single offensive meeting with the players. I’m in as many of them that I can attend that time allows, and so it’s just the understanding that nothing skips a beat when I have to leave the room. Press has been there, he’s done that. That’s the good thing about it. I hold him in really high regard. He’s done a phenomenal job in the role last year as pass game coordinator and I’ve got nothing but immense confidence that he’ll do a great job here as a coordinator.”
Studesville, meanwhile, boasts 29 years of NFL coaching experience. He returns for a second stint with the Bears after serving as offensive quality control coach and offensive assistant in 1997-98 and receivers coach and assistant special teams coach in 1999-2000.
He spent the past nine years with the Dolphins as running backs coach and run game coordinator (2017-20), co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach (2021) and associate head coach and running backs coach (2022-25).
During his first two years in Miami, Studesville worked with Johnson, who was Dolphins assistant receivers coach (2017) and receivers coach (2018).
“I feel strongly about Eric Studesville,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy I’ve worked with in the past. I think he’ll do a great job in our running back room and bring some different things to the table. He’s been around the block a few times. He’s been a part of really good rushing offenses in the past and I know he’s going to bring a great flavor for us.”