With the success that head coach Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears had in 2025, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the league tries to poach from his coaching staff to enjoy the same success.
Earlier this week, we saw one departure from Johnson’s staff as RBs coach Eric Bieniemy was hired by the Kansas City Chiefs to serve as their next offensive coordinator. The news of Bieniemy’s sudden exit was shocking to Bears fans, as Bieniemy was not mentioned or considered as a potential OC option anywhere.
However, Bieniemy isn’t the only coach who could leave this offseason. Al Harris is getting defensive coordinator interviews, and now Declan Doyle is finding his name in the mix for at least one offensive coordinator job.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Philadelphia Eagles requested to interview Declan Doyle for their OC vacancy. While Bears fans would be devastated to see Harris go, the idea of losing Doyle, too, would not sit well with some of the fans in the Windy City.
Ben Johnson Could Elevate Antwaan Randle El to OC if Declan Doyle Departs
If Doyle were to be hired by the Eagles or another team, for example, Johnson could look outside the organization to secure his replacement or hire someone internally, such as Antwaan Randle El.
Randle El came over from the Detroit Lions with Johnson and assumed the role of the Bears’ WRs coach and assistant head coach.
For most Bears fans, Randle El did a good job with the Bears’ WR room, especially seeing the growth and development of rookie receivers Luther Burden III and Jahdae Walker. At the same time, some fans weren’t happy with the Bears' WRs coach, as some of his players struggled with drops or didn’t run the correct routes.
According to StatRankings.com, the Bears were ranked second in the league this season with 31 drops. That’s a noticeable difference from 2024 when Matt Eberflus’ staff was running the show, and they only had 18.
Rome Odunze led the way with seven drops, followed by Burden with six, and veteran Olamide Zaccheaus with five, per StatRankings.com. Now, should those drops be used to validate Randle El’s ability as an offensive coordinator down the road? No, it should not.
Randle El would be Johnson's next-best option, as he knows what the Bears head coach loves to do. He would play the same role as Doyle. This means helping with game planning, but does not do much playcalling, as Johnson would handle that.
Randle El spent four years working in Detroit as a WRs coach, and we saw what damage those guys did on offense. Before that, the Bears' assistant head coach was an offensive assistant in Tampa Bay for two seasons, where he worked with Tom Brady, Bruce Arians, and Byron Leftwich.
He's has some solid coaching experience, which no one should be overlooking. That said, if you are the Bears, you hope that Doyle stays for another year. However, it's not the end of the world if Randle El has to take over.