Bears News: Report: Johnson lands his first three assistant coaches |
It was only a matter of time before Ben Johnson started to put his staff together, and you began to see that on Friday. After learning that Richard Hightower is the lone coach expected to return from the last coaching staff, all eyes shifted to the Detroit Lions and whether or not any of their coaches would be following Johnson to Chicago.
That doesn't appear to be the case after speculation that Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley would join Johnson as the new offensive coordinator. Fraley not only remains in Detroit, but he doesn't seem to be leaving any time soon. Some reports still indicate that he is considering it, but as of now, this is where things stand. The same can be said about Darren Rizzi (Who was expected to go to the Broncos) and Dennis Allen, who were rumored to be the first two coaches to join the staff. Allen is still being linked to the defensive coordinator opening, but until that is confirmed, the Bears will hire as many candidates as possible to find the right coach. Even if some of those guys are no longer interested in the Bears and what they can offer, Johnson didn't stop making many phone calls as he added his first three coaches to his staff on Friday night. As expected, some of those coaches came from Detriot after working with him on the offensive side of the ball, as this is only the beginning of what is hopefully an excellent working relationship.
The first of a series of hires last night is a familiar name to Johnson as former Detroit Lions wide receiver coach Antwaan Randle El is heading to Chicago. Randle El will not only become the new WR coach and take over for Chris Beatty, but he is also getting a new title with that role as he will be the Assistant Head Coach. Randle El is no stranger to the NFL coaching ranks. The former Pittsburgh Steeler has bounced around the league and spent several seasons working with Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Lions' WR room. It's no secret that Randle El has done a great job in Detroit, so much so that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Interviewed him for their Offensive Coordinator opening last year before giving it to Liam Coen. After scoring 27 touchdowns in nine NFL seasons, Randel El began coaching in 2019 as an offensive assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After two seasons, he was hired by the Lions to be their wide receiver coach, a title he has held ever since. Johnson and Randle El have a great deal of mutual respect for one another, but their past three seasons together indicate they know what it takes to put together a great offense.Antwaan Randle El
JT Barrett
The second of two former Lions coaches added to the Bears staff is former Ohio State star JT Barrett, who is coming to Detroit to become the team's next quarterback coach. It's no secret that Caleb Williams and his development from one season to the next are crucial to the Bears' long-term success.
Johnson hopes Barrett can help Williams achieve the next level. Barrett was highly recommended from the moment Johnson was hired. Barrett has had a bit of a journey, going from a Heisman-caliber quarterback in College to a non-existent player in the NFL.
Things got so bad for him that he even changed positions to wide receiver in the hopes of making a minimal impact. However, that never came, forcing him to retire far sooner than anyone expected. Barrett is very young regarding his coaching experience, as he landed his first opportunity with the Lions in 2022 and has been there his entire career.
Initially an offensive assistant in 2022, Barrett was promoted to Quarterback coach in 2023, where he has held that position ever since. In his two years as the quarterback coach, not only has Jared Goff played well, but you could also make the case that he has had the best two years of his career with Barrett as his coach. That is what Johnson hopes Barrett can do for Williams, as his talent level is there to be great.
Al Harris
The final hire of the day for Johnson is a name all too familiar for Lions fans as former Green Bay Packers cornerback and, most recently, the Dallas Cowboys defensive backs coach Al Harris will now be in Chicago. With a much longer NFL career than Randle-El and Barrett, Harris enjoyed a 15-year playing career, with most of that time coming with the Packers.
He is most famously known for his Pick six against the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs after Matt Hasselback won the toss and said we want the ball to score. Harris was among the league leaders in interceptions several times and will always go down as one of the more overlooked defensive backs in NFL history despite putting up the numbers he put up. Following his playing career, which ended in 2012, the now 50-year-old Harris immediately got into coaching, working with the Miami Dolphins in 2012.
That was followed by stops in Kansas City from 2013 to 2018, Florida Atlantic University in 2019, and the Dallas Cowboys, where he has been since 2020. Harris was not only the Cowboys' defensive backs coach, which is what he will be in Chicago, but he was also the assistant head coach for the past two seasons.
With Randle-EL getting that position in Detroit, Harris will have to settle for the passing game coordinator with his defensive backs role. However, given his coaching history, expect him to thrive in that role. None of these names may be the home-run hires you expected Johnson to make, but all of them have built up strong resumes that give Johnson confidence in each of them.
