The Chicago Bears head into the NFL offseason feeling good about their future. Head coach Ben Johnson had a fantastic first year, and his success is already having a ripple effect on the Bears. Teams around the league saw the progress that Chicago made and are looking to speak with multiple guys on this staff.
Chicago defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Al Harris has begun making his rounds around the league. On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that Harris is set to interview with the Washington Commanders for their defensive coordinator position. Meanwhile, he also interviewed with the Green Bay Packers for the same role.
And the interest continued on the offensive side of the ball. ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed that the Philadelphia Eagles requested to interview Declan Doyle for their offensive coordinator opening.
Bears' Success Brings Risk of Losing More Coaches in the Future
These updates come after the Bears saw former running backs coach Eric Bieniemy return to the Kansas City Chiefs to become their offensive coordinator. While Johnson has shown he's the guy at head coach, the staff he built is stacking interest around the NFL. That's the name of the game in this league. Teams are going to take an interest in organizations that are winning, and that's what Chicago did in 2025.
And if they continue to have success at this level, it will continue. That's a great problem to have and is something the Bears haven't experienced in a while. Yet it doesn't feel the best to potentially lose someone like Harris. Although the pass defense left some things to be desired, ranking 22nd in pass defense (227.2), he had these defensive backs taking the football away.
Chicago led the NFL in interceptions (23), with Kevin Byard also leading the league in interceptions (7). That's a massive jump since the Bears were 26th in interceptions (11) in 2024. He got this unit to another level, which is something he also did with the Dallas Cowboys (72 interceptions in four years).
Doyle is someone who's coming off his first season as an offensive coordinator. Although he didn't call plays for Chicago, he was tasked with crafting gameplans. Doyle has his hand in different pots and is already gaining attention. Even if he doesn't get plunked this year, getting an interview already shows how he's been viewed in league circles.
As for Bieniemy, he was the running backs coach and got a promotion with a former team. Chicago was third in rushing offense (144.5). Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift both had 750-plus rushing yards and 5-plus rushing touchdowns.
All of these coaches played a role in Chicago's success and have the potential to get jobs elsewhere. The Bears feel great because they have the guy at HC, but his improvement is already impacting Chicago's chance of keeping this staff together.