Bears coaching staff shake-ups lead to surprising retention. Key assistants Declan Doyle and Al Harris stay put, boosting Chicago's future success.
The Chicago Bears got some exciting news involving one of their assistants on Thursday.
Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy has already left to join the Kansas City Chiefs as offensive coordinator. He previously held the same role there from 2018-2022.
Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has been linked to a couple of openings this offseason. Doyle first interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles after they fired Kevin Petullo.
He withdrew his name, but Chicago fans didn't have long before they had another reason to feel stressed. It was just a few days later that news came out that Doyle was interviewing with the Baltimore Ravens for their OC opening.
The Ravens made a major head coaching change this offseason, firing John Harbaugh. Former OC Todd Monken has since left to become the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens hired former Los Angeles Chargers DC Jesse Minter as HC.
More news came out recently about one of Ben Johnson's assistant coaches. Defensive backs coach Al Harris has been considered for a number of openings.
First, he was linked to the Green Bay Packers for their defensive coordinator job. Jeff Hafley left to join the Miami Dolphins as HC. The move made sense for Harris, as he played for the Packers in the early 2000s, but they hired Jonathan Gannon instead.
Then, Harris' former HC at the Packers, Mike McCarthy, was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, linking the Bears' assistant to their DC opening.
However, that position has been filled by Las Vegas Raiders DC Patrick Graham.
If the Bears could find a way to retain both Doyle and Harris, it would be a major win for the coaching staff. Harris had two cornerbacks in the top 10 in terms of interceptions in 2025.
Safety Kevin Byard led the NFL with seven interceptions, while Nahshon Wright was third with five.
Harris was dealt an unfortunate hand this season with all the injuries that happened in the secondary. Kyler Gordon suffered hamstring, calf and groin injuries this season, while Jaylon Johnson had a groin injury in Week 2.
Gordon missed the first four games and rejoined the team from his hamstring injury in Week 6, but then had a calf injury. Gordon and Johnson came off the injured reserve in Week 13. Gordon then went back on the IR with a groin injury he sustained in pregame warmups in Week 14.
With Doyle at OC, the Bears were 12th in passing yards (234.8), third in rushing yards (144.8) and ninth in points per game (25.9).
Assistants like Harris and Doyle don't come around often, so keeping both for 2026 would be massive for the franchise.