Ben Johnson solidifies all three coordinator positions, blending together a nice mix of experience and youth to his first coaching staff with the Bears
The Chicago Bears' coaching staff under new head coach Ben Johnson is starting to come together and it's looking like a pretty diverse group.Heading into his first head coaching opportunity, Johnson emphasized the importance of experience when it came to choosing his staff. And he's proving that experience in the NFL coaching world comes in […]
The Chicago Bears' coaching staff under new head coach Ben Johnson is starting to come together and it's looking like a pretty diverse group.
Heading into his first head coaching opportunity, Johnson emphasized the importance of experience when it came to choosing his staff. And he's proving that experience in the NFL coaching world comes in variety of different ways.
"After we get through this initial madness, if you will, we can get going on the coaching staff that's going to be a critical part of our success," Johnson explained during his first press conference. "I really believe that we're going to be able to find some great candidates out there that want to come to Chicago for a number of reasons, but they will be able to help guide and show me the way."
As of Sunday, Johnson finally selected the coaches who will hold the three coordinator roles after meeting with various candidates.
At defensive coordinator, former New Orleans Saints' head coach Dennis Allen will run the unit bringing tons of experience to the staff. At offensive coordinator, 28-year-old Declan Doyle will help Johnson run the offense after serving as the Denver Broncos tight ends coach. And at special teams coordinator, Richard Hightower will be retained from the previous staff in Chicago.
All three coordinators have had a very different coaching path that now leads them to Chicago on Johnson's staff, and all three will bring a lot for Johnson to lean on going into the 2025 season with the Bears.
For Allen, the 52-year-old has established himself as a well-respected coach in the league and is one of the best defensive-minds available. Allen worked in New Orleans alongside Johnson's former associates Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn. Allen has had two stints of being a head coach himself and will inherit a strong defensive unit.
Doyle has been as fast rising coaching candidate and another disciple from the Sean Payton tree. While he won't be calling the offensive plays, Johnson laid out what Doyle's role will entail during his introductory press conference.
"It's going to be critical for me to find somebody that can organize and structure and set the table particularly early in the week," Johnson said. "I've been around a number of guys that have called plays in the past, and I've seen the potential pitfalls that could arise as you're coaching the entire football team and you can't get to watch as much tape early in the week as you possibly could. So, the offensive coordinator position is gonna have to be somebody that not only I trust, but will be extremely detail oriented, organize a structure to set the table, and also work late nights."
As for Hightower, the 44-year-old has cultivated a lot of respect with the players in the locker room. During the 2024 season, Hightower had three players named as Special Teams Players of the Week. He will be entering his fourth season in Chicago.
As for the positional assistants, Johnson has already hired three former NFL players to his staff. Antwaan Randle El will be the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach, Al Harris will be the defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator, and J.T. Barrett will be the quarterbacks coach.
He's putting together quite the first staff in Chicago and will have a lot of prominent voices to surround himself with.
Bears’ Ben Johnson makes the biggest hire of his first coaching staff official and he couldn’t have picked a better choice for the position
The expected candidate lands the job.
