With NFL free agency on the horizon, the Chicago Bears have officially announced their 2025 coaching staff under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. Johnson brought a couple of Detroit Lions coaches to the Windy City in Antwaan Randle El and J.T. Barrett.
Ben Johnson's 2025 Bears coaching staff pic.twitter.com/I9jNVIyOqg
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) February 20, 2025
Randle El served as the Lions wide receiver on Dan Campbell’s staff, while Barrett was the assistant QB coach. Randle El will keep the same title with the Bears, but will also be Johnson’s assistant head coach.
Meanwhile, Barrett received a title upgrade this offseason. He’ll be the Bears' QBs coach. The former Lions staffer will be tasked with helping Caleb Williams take his game to the next level.
The new Bears head coach also added well-known coaches to his staff in Dennis Allen and Eric Bieniemy. Allen will serve as Chicago’s new defensive coordinator after getting fired by the New Orleans Saints during the 2024 season.
After being the Saints’ defensive coordinator for seven seasons, the 52-year-old Allen was their head coach for the last three years. Bieniemy is returning to the NFL after spending the 2024 season in the collegiate ranks at UCLA as their offensive coordinator/associate head coach.
Bieniemy will be coaching up the Bears’ running backs – a role he’s previously held with the Kansas City Chiefs (2013-17) and the Minnesota Vikings (2006-10). The last time we saw the 55-year-old coach on an NFL sideline was in 2023 with the Washington Commanders as their offensive coordinator on Ron Rivera’s staff.
Having guys like Bieniemy and Allen on the staff should help Johnson as he learns and grows in his first year. While Chicago fans will pay close attention to Allen and Bieniemy in 2025, new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle will be under the microscope.
Doyle, 28, will step into the OC role after spending the last three years as Denver Broncos tight ends coach. Before joining the Broncos, Doyle spent four years as an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints.
Since this is his first offensive coordinator job, Doyle will not be tasked with calling the plays next season. However, he will play a huge part in putting the game plan together each week for Johnson.
After making a slew of hires, Bears fans are excited to see what the team will do next season and if Johnson can get this franchise back to the top of the NFC North.