The Chicago Bears are making moves that have fans buzzing as they begin assembling their coaching staff under new head coach Ben Johnson. On Friday, three key assistants arrived, each with a track record of success that could set the team on the path to greatness.
The first to join was former Dallas Cowboys defensive backs coach Al Harris, now the Bears’ passing game coordinator. Next, Detroit Lions wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El followed suit, taking the same role in Chicago while also adding the title of assistant head coach. But the most telling move came last: J.T. Barrett, former assistant quarterbacks coach for the Lions, will now be Chicago’s primary quarterbacks coach.
What makes this move so compelling? It reinforces what had already been clear—Johnson isn’t just adding former players to his staff, he’s adding proven winners. Harris, a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback, was instrumental in six playoff berths for the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers, including three NFC Championship appearances. Randle El, a Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, brings elite experience to the Bears. Barrett, a former Heisman favorite and leader of Ohio State’s 2014 national championship run, knows how to succeed on the biggest stage.
These former champions aren’t just coaching—they’re instilling a winning mentality in a franchise that desperately needs it.
It’s been years since the Bears had a staff like this, one with such rich experience in victory. To find a similar roster of successful ex-players, one would have to look back to the Mike Ditka era, when the team had legends like Dick Stanfel and Johnny Roland on staff. Stanfel was a five-time All-Pro guard, while Roland was a two-time Pro Bowl running back. Ditka himself, of course, was a Hall of Fame tight end. History shows that a staff filled with successful former players often leads to a team’s triumph, and Johnson seems to have embraced this lesson from his time working under Dan Campbell in Detroit.
Could there be more former players joining the Bears in the future? The possibility is high. Chris Kuper, a Pro Bowl offensive lineman who worked with Johnson in Miami, could be a target. Shawn Jefferson, a member of the New England Patriots’ All-Decade team in the 1990s, might also be in the mix.
No matter who else joins, one thing is clear: under Ben Johnson’s leadership, the Chicago Bears are primed to play with a renewed competitive edge that has been sorely lacking in recent years. The winds of change are blowing, and the Bears are ready to embrace a culture of winning.
