Bears Hiring Dad of Coach Who Was Just Fired

The Chicago Bears have been using the past couple of weeks to fill in Ben Johnson's coaching staff. The first-time head coach has his work cut out for him. Building out a competent staff around him is key.

Having good coaches around to bounce ideas off of goes a long way. On Jan. 31, the Bears parted ways with four coaches, including Travis Smith, who was their defensive line coach since 2022.

Just four days later, Chicago is hiring Richard Smith as their new linebackers coach, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. What makes this addition interesting is that Richard is the father of Travis, who was let go.

Bears News: Bears Hired Richard Smith as LB Coach

Biggs added that Smith and defensive coordinator Dennis Smith have a history together. The two men crossed paths with the Denver Broncos in 2011. Allen was the defensive coordinator, while Smith was their linebackers coach.

Fourteen years later, the two guys will be back on the same coaching staff. The fact that Richard's son was just axed by the Bears makes the addition surprising, but the NFL is a cold business.

The Bears are valuing experience and Smith brings that. He's been in the NFL since 1993. The 69-year-old has spent time with the Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers, and most recently with the Indianapolis Colts.

Smith played a huge role in the development of Colts LB Zaire Franklin. Before Smith landed with the Colts, Franklin never played more than 20% of the defensive snaps. This past season, Franklin led the league in total tackles (173) with 11 TFLs, four QB hits, and 3.5 sacks. Those numbers helped him land a Pro Bowl nod and get named to the second-team All-Pro team.

Chicago is hoping that he could create that magic in the Windy City.

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