With 10 NFL teams firing their head coaches — almost a third of the league — there will be an unprecedented level of movement among the coaching ranks this winter. Each new head coach will need to hire coordinators and a dozen position coaches.
In the NFL, success comes with attrition. Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson knows it’s possible he could lose several assistant coaches.
Already, the Bears are set to lose running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who NFL Network reported Wednesday will take over as Andy Reid’s offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s the same role Bieniemy held from 2018-22 after taking over for Matt Nagy, who left to become the Bears head coach.
For Johnson and the Bears, that might not be the end of it.
“I know we already have some slips coming through that other teams would like to interview some of our guys, and I’m all for it,” Johnson said.
NFL coaching and GM tracker: Chicago Bears DBs coach Al Harris interviews with Green Bay Packers
Al Harris, who holds the dual titles of defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator, drew notice for the job he did managing the secondary despite missing cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon for most of the season. Harris reportedly interviewed with the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday for their defensive coordinator job and is expected to interview for the same role with the Washington Commanders.
Antwaan Randle El, the wide receivers coach and assistant head coach, could be another name to watch. Would a team consider making him its offensive coordinator? Randle El is a Chicago-area native and was overjoyed to return to his hometown last year, but what if his old team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, offered him a chance to run the offense?
Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle could be in a similar position. While he already holds the coordinator title, Johnson calls the plays in Chicago. Could Doyle be interested in going elsewhere to call the shots on offense?
Many teams still need to finalize their head coaching hires first, but the coaching carousel won’t end there.
“I told the players this just a week or two ago, that it’s rare in Year 1 that you feel like you have a five-star staff, and yet that’s what I believe,” Johnson said. “Over the course of the season, seeing how they conducted themselves, what they sacrificed, the time they put in — we’ve got a great collection of coaches.
“It’s the right mix of experience, energy, ideas, and so I think they’re a big reason for the success that we were able to have and the games we were able to win. I see future head coaches on this staff, I see future coordinators.”
Additionally, the Bears front office could see some reshuffling. National reports Wednesday indicated that assistant general manager Ian Cunningham will interview for the GM role with the Atlanta Falcons.
Cunningham interviewed earlier this month for Atlanta’s president of football position, but the job went to former Falcons quarterback and league MVP Matt Ryan. Now the Falcons are looking for a GM who would report to Ryan.
Cunningham was a finalist a year ago for the Jacksonville Jaguars GM job, a reported finalist for the Commanders job in 2024 and turned down the Arizona Cardinals job in 2023, among other interviews.