INDIANAPOLIS – New Bears coach Ben Johnson is extremely proud of the first staff he has assembled in Chicago.
It's a diverse group that features former NFL players, a record-breaking college quarterback, an ex-NFL head coach and Super Bowl-winning players and coaches.
"The last five weeks have gone outstanding," Johnson said Tuesday at the NFL Combine. "Putting the staff together, that was priority No. 1.
"I feel really strongly about the quality of people that we brought in. Character, integrity, those were the first things we were looking for. And then great teachers, great work ethic, demanding on and off the field. I think we check those boxes with all the coaches that we brought on board."
“I didn’t hire a bunch of my friends. I went outside of my circle on purpose because I wanted to collect a different mix of experience, of energy, ideas.” Ben Johnson
Rather than stockpiling his staff with coaches he's worked with before, Johnson hand-picked assistants from different trees and systems who will bring a melting pot of knowledge and experience to Halas Hall.
"What's so beautiful about the coaching staff that we put together," Johnson said, "I didn't hire a bunch of my friends. I went outside of my circle on purpose because I wanted to collect a different mix of experience, of energy, ideas, and we're going to make it come together and it's going to be the Chicago Bears going forward."
Johnson hired two new coordinators in Dennis Allen (defense) and Declan Doyle (offense) while retaining Richard Hightower (special teams) from the previous staff. Allen has been an NFL head coach with the Raiders (2012-14) and Saints (2022-24).
Eight of the nine position coaches are new: J.T. Barrett (quarterbacks), Eric Bieniemy (running backs), Antwaan Randle El (receivers), Dan Roushar (offensive line), Jeremy Garrett (defensive line), Richard Smith (linebackers), Al Harris (defensive backs) and Matt Giordano (safeties). The only holdover is Jim Dray (tight ends).
Barrett set 25 Ohio State records as a quarterback. Bieniemy was an NFL running back for nine seasons and then won two Super Bowl rings during 10 years as a Chiefs assistant. Randle El and Giordano both won Super Bowls as players with the Steelers and Colts, respectively. Harris was a two-time Pro Bowl defensive back.
"It can look a number of different ways," Johnson said. "Eric Bieniemy's got a lot of experience in the gun-run game and what they did in Kansas City. And Declan has a lot of success from the Sean Payton tree. And [pass game coordinator] Press Taylor has a lot of success from the Chip Kelly [system] all the way on.
"So we've got a lot of library, if you will, to draw from, and we'll see it all come together once we get our hands on these guys."
That won't happen until Monday, April 7, when the Bears and other teams that hired new head coaches are permitted to begin their voluntary offseason programs. Although it's more than a month away, Johnson already knows what the initial focus will be on.
"We're going to go back to basics and that's the fundamentals of each position: blocking, tackling, catching the football, running after the catch, ball security," he said. "We're going to break it down to the studs and work to develop it from there."
That approach will apply to second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, who showed promise as a rookie after being selected by the Bears with the No. 1 pick in last year's draft.
"For Caleb, what are the important things about playing the quarterback position at the NFL level?" Johnson said. "It's as simple as the procedure of the huddle, breaking the huddle, using cadence, motions, shifts, all those things that can help attack a defense that we feel like can take another step here in Chicago. That will be the starting point. We will look to build around him as well with the talent level and the rest of the support staff."
Last season Williams set Bears rookie records with 351 completions, 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns. He became the franchise's first quarterback to start every game in a season since Jay Cutler in 2009 and produced a streak of 353 straight pass attempts without an interception that is the fourth longest in NFL history.
On Tuesday, Johnson described Williams as "super talented."
"I think Declan mentioned it when he got interviewed a few weeks ago," Johnson said. "The out-of-structure, the off-schedule, the creation, that's what stands out the most because that's really the way this league's going right now, it seems like. As much as you want to make it pure progression, one to two to three, there's just too much variety.
"The pass rush's coming down, and to have an athlete like Caleb extend the play and potentially find an explosive down the field, that's what gets me going a little bit. I get excited thinking about that because I haven't really been around that since I've been in the league."
