Bears HC Ben Johnson might be in danger of losing his right-hand man on offense, but he does have the final say
Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle is getting some attention from a rival NFC team.
The raid of Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s staff is currently underway and something the team’s head coach welcomed on Wednesday while meeting with reporters during his end-of-season press conference at Halas Hall.
“I know we already have some slips coming through that other teams would like to interview some of our guys and I’m all for it, man,” Johnson said. “I want these guys to continue to ascend. Anything I can do to help them out, I think they all know I’m more than willing to do that.”
Johnson added that he believes the Bears had a five-star coaching staff this past season and one assistant has already been poached with RBs coach Eric Bieniemy leaving to become the offensive coordinator again with the Kansas City Chiefs. Another assistant in defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Al Harris started getting heavy attention late Wednesday night as well. And now, Johnson could be in danger of losing his right-hand man on offense.
Philadelphia Eagles requested to interview Bears OC Declan Doyle for their vacant OC position
On Thursday morning, ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that the Philadelphia Eagles have put a slip in to potentially interview Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle for their vacant offensive coordinator position under head coach Nick Sirianni after parting ways with Kevin Patullo.
Johnson made Doyle the NFL’s youngest offensive coordinator last season after snatching him off Sean Payton’s coaching staff with the Denver Broncos.
The Bears’ offense had a massive turnaround throughout the 2025-26 season with multiple players having career seasons including quarterback Caleb Williams and running back D’Andre Swift. It’s worth noting the offense success can mainly be attributed to Johnson and his scheme, but Doyle still played a strong role in shaping the unit.
Ben Johnson has the option to block Declan Doyle’s interview with the Eagles
Since Johnson is the primary offensive play-caller and considering this is a lateral position request, the Bears head coach has the option to block this request to retain his right-hand man, similar to the situation with Kyle Shanahan and Klay Kubiak. But, it’s a tricky position to be in.
Johnson, as noted above, wants what’s best for all his assistants to grow as a coach. In Philadelphia, Doyle would be able to lead his own offense under Sirianni and have a plethora of offensive talent to work with such as Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, and DeVonta Smith. Saying Doyle finds success with that core, he could easily set himself up for future head coach interest down the road.
At the same time, Johnson has shown a lot of praise for the asset Doyle has been this season and might not be comfortable losing him so soon.
“Declan has done a phenomenal job this year,” Johnson explained. “He’s everything I thought he was going to be and some. He’s got tremendous presence in front of the players, extremely smart. He’s picked up the offense quickly throughout the spring and camp and has been able to augment it… I think the future’s bright for a guy like Declan. Hopefully we can keep him here for a long time, but I know he’s been an asset to me, he’s been an asset to our offense and all these players as well.”
It’s a tough decision to make but it’s one the Eagles could simply make for Chicago considering the other candidates vying for the same position with play-calling experience already under their belt.
Chicago Bears News
Multiple teams are zeroing in on one of Ben Johnson’s best assistants, including the Bears biggest rival
The raid of the Chicago Bears coaching staff is expected to continue.
