Former Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long sees stability in Chicago with Ben Johnson at the helm. Coaching turnover won't derail the Bears' competitive spirit.
The Chicago Bears have lost some essential assistant coaches this offseason.
First, it was running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who is back for a second stint with the Kansas City Chiefs. He rejoins that organization for another try at offensive coordinator.
Then, Bears' OC Declan Doyle left for the same role with the Baltimore Ravens. It was a bit of a 180 after Doyle initially interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles for their OC job, but withdrew his name.
After he was hired, it was revealed that he played a significant role in the Bears' halftime adjustments, further enhancing his value.
The Bears recently hired Eric Studesville to be the running backs coach, but still have a hole at OC to fill. While it can be easy to say that things won't be the same, former Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long had an inspiring message for fans.
Long spent his entire NFL career in Chicago from 2013-19, making three Pro Bowls. He believes that as long as the Bears have Ben Johnson as head coach, the team will be competitive.
"We also almost have that insurance policy of the best offensive mind in our building is the head coach," Long said. "Oftentimes, we saw it, it's just the cost of being a boss. When you're a good team, you lose coaches, you get attrition upstairs. That ain't happening for our big brain; our supercomputer is still there. When they take the field in 2026 Week 1, it's gonna be the best version of the Ben Johnson Chicago Bears."
This was always going to be a reality that the Bears would have to face with the kind of season they put together in 2025. Chicago won the NFC North, reached the playoffs and even hosted a playoff game.
Luckily, the Bears have been able to retain all of their defensive coaches, including defensive backs coach Al Harris. Harris was linked to the defensive coordinator openings of the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
He had connections to both, as a former Packers player, and current Steelers HC Mike McCarthy coached him from 2006-09. However, the Packers hired Jonathan Gannon, and the Steelers went with former Las Vegas Raiders DC Patrick Graham.
The Bears are lucky to have Johnson running the show in Chicago. This should make fans excited about what the future holds in the Windy City.