You might know the names of important people throughout the Chicago Bears organization. From the infamous McCaskey family to the general manager or head coach, the Bears have a lot of influential people on their payroll. You may even know their names, who they are, and what they're about. The thing is, those people are the face of the franchise. Those are the people that step up to the podium almost every week and address the media.
But the general fan hardly ever thinks beyond that. There's even the possibility you may know who the coordinators are because of the heavy impact they have upon the game. You hardly ever hear about a wide receivers coach who happens to be the Bears assistant coach, Antwaan Randle El.
Antwaan Randle El brings a wealth of experience to the Bears coaching staff
Randle El is a former receiver himself who played the bulk of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a three-season stint with the then-Redskins. His career highlight came in Super Bowl XL when he collected a ring with the Steelers. In the game, on a gadget play, Randle El threw a 43 yard touchdown to Hines Ward (who then collected MVP in the game) to extend their lead in the 4th quarter. The man has ample experience both as quarterback and receiver, and he clearly understands how to coach them.
In 2019, he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an offensive assistant before joining Ben Johnson in Detroit in 2021 to be his receivers coach. When Johnson took the job in Chicago to be their head coach, Randle El followed, and the Bears couldn't be more thankful he did. He's since become Ben Johnson's assistant head coach, and in Saturday's first preseason game in Chicago, Randle El had the control.
Coach Johnson is well known for wanting complete control of the offense. It's frequently been cited as the primary reason for Declan Doyle's departure to the Ravens' organization. To surrender play calling duties is not something Johnson has been open to, at least not since arriving in Chicago. And rightfully so, so far. Since Johnson took over in 2025, the Bears offense improved tenfold seemingly overnight.
Randle El's performance calling the Bears' offense not only went well, but it was close to turning into a blowout. Obviously we're talking about a preseason game where the stakes aren't sky high, and additionally, we're talking about the Cleveland Browns when they weren't putting their best foot forward. But just like the players on the field fighting for their moment in the spotlight to be seen, why not give Randle El a shot as well? It's a perfect moment for a head coach to assess a future potential coordinator.
Johnson's postgame presser even said as much, with Johnson professing his confidence in Randle El to become not only a coordinator in the NFL, but a head coach. A good head coach is not only promoting his players and their talents, but their coaches, too. Ben Johnson clearly has high belief in Randle El. If Randle El continues on the path he's on now, he very well could become a rival coach in the NFL. But until then, the Bears can enjoy Ben Johnson's comfort knowing his right-hand man is securely here for the season.
| More Bears on DaWindyCity |
Add us as a preferred source on Google