Ben Johnson isn’t wasting any time looking to add to his staff. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears have requested an interview with Vikings coach Daronte Jones for their defensive coordinator vacancy.
After spending more than a decade in the college ranks, Jones got his first NFL gig with the Dolphins in 2015, when he worked as an assistant defensive backs coach. He later coached cornerbacks with the Bengals and defensive backs with the Vikings before being named defensive coordinator at LSU in 2021.
Jones only lasted one year at that stop. The coordinator wasn’t retained as part of Brian Kelly’s first staff in Baton Rouge, and he quickly caught on with the Vikings. After spending his first season in Minnesota as the defensive backs coach, Jones has spent the past two years serving as the Vikings defensive pass game coordinator.
As Rapoport notes, Jones has earned a reputation as a bright defensive mind, and he’s had time to hone his skills working under the likes of Brian Flores, Vance Joseph, and Marvin Lewis. The coach also has experience working alongside Johnson, as the duo were both on the Dolphins coaching staff between 2016 and 2017.
Rams defensive pass-game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant is the only other known candidate to potentially replace ousted DC Eric Washington in Chicago. The Bears (and Johnson) have been loosely connected to former Saints head coach Dennis Allen, and they were a rumored landing spot for former Bengals DC Lou Anarumo before he joined the Colts staff.