After losing in the divisional round to the Los Angeles Rams last week, Chicago Bears fans are wondering who will be leaving the team this offseason. Head coach Ben Johnson has already seen one departure happen as RBs coach Eric Bieniemy will be returning to Kansas City as the Chiefs’ new offensive coordinator.
With Bieniemy out the door, fans are wondering if DBs coach/passing game coordinator Al Harris will be the next coach to follow. Harris has reportedly interviewed with the Green Bay Packers, Washington Commanders, and Tennessee Titans for their defensive coordinator vacancies.
Green Bay hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon as their new defensive coordinator on Sunday morning, which will make Bears fans happy. However, he still has a shot with those other two teams and could be an option for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh Steelers Could Suddenly Emerge as Potential Option for Al Harris
Why the Steelers, you might ask yourself? On Saturday, multiple outlets reported that the Steelers have hired former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy to become their next head coach.
McCarthy has a tie with the Bears' DBs, who worked with McCarthy in Dallas for five seasons (2020-2024) as the Cowboys’ DBs coach. In Harris's last year with McCarthy in 2024, he also got the title of assistant head coach.
If there’s anybody who knows what Harris brings to the table, it's McCarthy, as he got a chance to watch Harris turn Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland into standout cornerbacks. Bears fans saw that this season in the Windy City, as Harris seemingly rejuvenated the career of Kevin Byard III, and got the absolute best out of Nashon Wright, who was considered just a depth pickup in the secondary.
With Mike Tomlin out the door in Pittsburgh, McCarthy will likely want to bring in some of the guys that he worked with in Dallas.
Harris seems to be a great option for McCarthy’s new venture if he wants him there. If he were to be interviewed and ultimately hired by Pittsburgh, Harris would get the chance to call plays on defense, as McCarthy is viewed as an offensive-minded head coach.
It remains to be seen if Harris would be afforded the same opportunity in Washington, as Dan Quinn is a defensive-minded guy, and Robert Saleh is also a defensive-minded head coach.
Nonetheless, it should be an interesting next couple of weeks in the Windy City as these head coaching jobs start to fill up and guys start searching for who they want to be part of their staff.
With Gannon and now Parker off the board, the Chicago DBs coach looks to be next up, if the right opportunity comes along.