Chicago Bears to hire 3 assistants to Ben Johnson's staff | Reports
Ben Johnson's first staff with the Chicago Bears is starting to take shape.
Johnson has reportedly hired two former NFL players onto his staff with the Chicago Bears, bringing one of those coaches with him from Detroit.
Here are the three assistant coaches reportedly joining the Bears' staff under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.
Bears hire Al Harris away from Dallas
In one of his first hires, Johnson and the Bears agreed to terms with Dallas Cowboys passing game coordinator Al Harris as the team's next passing game coordinator, according to the Dallas Cowboys team website.
Harris was the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach in Dallas last season. He added the assistant head coach title to his resume after serving as the defensive backs coach from 2020 to 2023.
Harris was a standout cornerback in the NFL from 1997 to 2011. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro, earning those accolades while in Green Bay. One of his most famous moments as a player was in the 2003 NFC Wildcard game vs. Seattle, the Seahawks won the toss in overtime and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck infamously said "We want the ball and we're going to score." Harris intercepted Hasselbeck just over four minutes into the overtime period and returned it for a touchdown, winning the game.
As a coach, Harris has been credited with the development of Cowboys defensive back Jourdan Lewis, who was an NFL All-Pro in the 2024 season. Harris also developed Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, who were Pro Bowl players under Harris' tutelage.
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Bears reportedly bringing Randle El to Chicago from Detroit
The Bears aren't getting Hank Fraley to leave Detroit for Chicago, but the Bears are getting one of their most impactful assistants.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears are finalizing a deal with Antwaan Randle El to be the team's next assistant head coach and wide receivers coach.
Randle El finished his fourth season in Detroit and is well-known for developing Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown into game-changing parts of the Lions' offense. Under Randle El, St. Brown became just the third Lions wide receiver since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to be named First-Team AP All-Pro.
Randle El played 143 games in the NFL across nine seasons with Washington and Pittsburgh. Most memorably, he threw a 43-yard touchdown to Hines Ward in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.
Now, Randle El comes to Chicago with a promotion in hand to help develop Rome Odunze and work with DJ Moore.
Johnson has his QB coach
Randle El isn't the only Detroit assistant coach following Johnson to Chicago.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Lions' assistant quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett will also join Johnson's staff. Barrett will be the Bears' quarterbacks coach, filling an important position that will be tasked with tutoring Caleb Williams in his second NFL season and his first under Johnson.
Barrett, in a way, confirmed the hiring himself on Friday when he changed his bio on his Instagram account to say "QB coach @chicagobears."
Barrett was a former Ohio State quarterback who won a national title with the Buckeyes, although he was injured for the national title game win over Oregon in the inaugural College Football Playoff in 2014.
He started his NFL coaching career in 2022 as an offensive assistant with the Lions.