It’s been one helluva rollercoaster since Chicago’s (4-2) start in late October. After it became clear the season was a total loss and former head coach Matt Eberflus was not the answer, the focus quickly shifted to the team’s search for its 19th head coach in franchise history.

Chicago Bears fans had never experienced an in-season firing like Eberflus. So, in many ways, this was uncharted territory for a fan base that is no stranger to head coaching searches. With six games remaining in the season, interim head coach Thomas Brown did an admirable job, being promoted twice in 17 days and leading a team for the first time in his coaching career. In the end, a (1-5) record wasn’t enough to be seriously considered for the job and understandably so.

In the end, the Bears officially announced 17 interviews, with speculation that a few others commenced behind the scenes. Of those 17 names, only three came to Halas Hall. Surprisingly, Johnson wasn’t among those who stepped foot inside 1920 Football Drive before signing on to coach the team.

While the excitement is justified and should be enjoyed, the job is far from done. Part of getting this process right is hiring the head coach and allowing him the resources to build the proper coaching staff. After all, that’s exactly what Johnson’s former head coach did in Detroit. With a few top names already tied to the coordinator positions, here are a few names for each side of the ball to watch in the coming weeks. A big thanks to Quinten Krzysko of On Tap Sports Network and our very own Danny Meehan (Co-Host of Bear Bones) for compiling these lists of past connections to Johnson.

Offensive Staff

Oftentimes, when a team hires a head coach who will call plays on their side of the ball, it can be hard to project what the final staff will look like. As expected, Johnson will call the plays. Unlike his time in Detroit, he will be in charge of leading the entire football team and must rely on his offensive coaches to pick up the slack. As noted above, Dan Campbell has done an excellent job of stacking talent all over the place when it comes to his assistant coaches. Usually, when a coordinator takes a promotion, his previous head coach will allow him to poach an assistant or two.

Both passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand and running backs coach Scottie Montgomery have been named as top candidates to take over for Johnson in Detroit. That would leave a few interesting names for Johnson to consider:

• Offensive line coach Hank Fraley
• Wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El

Of the two names, Fraley would be the “big” target but might be the least likely of the two to leave. Although the two have spent the last six seasons together in Detroit, the 47-year-old’s ties run beyond his relationship with Johnson. Both Penei Sewell and Frank Ragnow have vowed to keep Fraley in Detroit and it’s easy to see why. He’s arguably the second best offensive line coach in the game. It would require a promotion to offensive coordinator and a hefty pay increase to lure him out of Detroit. Randle El on the other hand, might be easier to pull over. The 45-year-old has been with the Lions since 2021 and has done some incredible work developing pass catchers. The Riverdale native is a local product and could value coming back “home”.

The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported earlier on Monday that Johnson’s offensive staff is likely to feature younger, lesser known names. While that might be true for the majority of his staff but a few other names that could make sense as assistants:

Only time will tell what Johnson decides to do on the offensive side of the ball. Make no mistake, even with him designing the offense and calling the plays, there should be plenty of focus on stacking this side of the ball as deep as possible.

Defensive Staff

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears have already zeroed in on their primary target for defensive coordinator. It’s none other than former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen. Although Allen has owned two failed stints as an NFL head coach, he’s arguably one of the better defensive coordinators in the league. If they can consummate the deal, the team’s core personnel shouldn’t have to change much, and they’ll put a more significant emphasis on their front four. For the sake of this exercise, we won’t assume that Allen is locked in until we receive more concrete information.

Dennis Allen connections:

• Secondary coach Joe Woods
• Linebacker coach Michael Hodges
• Defensive line coach Brian Young
• Defensive line coach Todd Grantham
• Defensive backs coach Marcus Robertson
• Defensive backs coach Sterling Moore
• Defensive line coach Ryan Neilsen
• Defensive backs coach Kris Richard

Allen has been in the league for quite a while. Listing out every connection he has to assistant coaches would be an article on its own. Instead, these names have recently been used by his coaching staff during his stint with the Saints.

Ben Johnson connections:

• DC/Linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard (Detroit Lions)
• Senior Defensive Assistant Kevin Coyle (Fresno State)
• Defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• Defensive assistant Sean Ryan (Miami Dolphins)
• Defensive coordinator/Linebackers coach George Edwards (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• DC/Defensive line coach Terrell Williams (Detroit Lions)
• Defensive backs coach Blue Adams (Michigan State)
• Defensive line coach Andre Carter (Las Vegas Raiders)
• Defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant (Los Angeles Rams)

In a typical year, Johnson being able to pull some of the Lions’ current defensive assistants might be more plausible. In reality, Aaron Glenn will take the bulk of who he wants onto New York or New Orleans once he accepts a job later this week. If Johnson wants some defensive assistants that he’s more familiar with, it’ll likely come from past connections. He will likely have to rely on agent connections or past relationships if things don’t work out with Allen.

Special Teams Staff

I won’t sit here and say I’ve got a ton of connections to Johnson and special teams coaches. In reality, these candidates are in a league of their own, and most do not understand who is good and who is terrible. Instead, I’ll list a few names that could make sense and who have ties to Johnson and Allen.

• STC Darren Rizzi (New Orleans Saints)
• STC Dave Fipp (Detroit Lions)
• STC Marquice Williams (Atlanta Falcons)
• STC Richard Hightower (Chicago Bears)
• STC Chris Tabor (Free Agent)

Rizzi’s name has been tied to the Bears’ opening, assuming he doesn’t land a head coaching job. Like Allen, having Rizzi’s previous interim head coaching experience is a notable bonus with a first-time head coach. Fip seems unlikely to make the jump, considering his history in Detroit. The same can be said for Williams in Atlanta unless head coach Raheem Morris wants to make a change. The final two names are “free agents.” Hightower is familiar with Chicago, as he’s been with Matt Eberflus for the last three years. Tabor is another name that many Bears fans likely remember. He’s currently on the market and is among the better names for job seekers. Outside of that, Chicago would need to get creative with another team’s assistant to fill this need.

Jeff Berckes, Lester A. Wiltfong Jr., and Taylor Doll had some immediate reactions to the Ben Johnson hire on our 2nd City Gridiron channel.

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