Ben Johnson’s coaching staff is beginning to take shape. Here’s who he has hired so far

Ben Johnson has been busy assembling his coaching staff over the past week. The new Chicago Bears head coach is ushering in a new era at Halas Hall. With it, he’s bringing along his own people.

The Bears officially hired Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator and Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator on Tuesday. The team also announced that special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, a Matt Eberflus hire, would hold the same title under Johnson.

Here’s what to know about every new member of the Bears coaching staff.

Dennis Allen, defensive coordinator

Dennis Allen, 52, was twice a head coach in the NFL. He coached the Raiders (2012-14) and the Saints (2022-24).

But his background is the defense. Allen was a defensive coordinator for Sean Payton in New Orleans for seven seasons. His defenses traditionally run a 4-3 base scheme, which is the same base defense the Bears ran under Eberflus.

Allen could give Johnson a former head coach to lean on. That could be invaluable for a first-time head coach.

It’s also worth noting that few NFL coaches see three opportunities to be a head coach in the league. With a 26-53 record as a head coach, Allen doesn’t seem likely to be in demand anytime soon. Johnson likely won’t have to worry about another team poaching his defensive coordinator.

Johnson and Allen have never worked together, but both have worked with Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.

Everywhere [Dennis Allen] has been along the way, they have been a top third-down team, a top red zone team. So there are a lot of pillars about what he does schematically that would be appealing to me."

—  Ben Johnson, Bears head coach

“Everywhere he has been along the way, they have been a top third-down team, a top red zone team,” Johnson said of Allen. “So there are a lot of pillars about what he does schematically that would be appealing to me.”

Declan Doyle, offensive coordinator

Declan Doyle, 28, is a bit of an unknown. He’s believed to be the youngest coordinator currently in the NFL. He spent the past two seasons as the tight end coach for the Denver Broncos. Prior to that, he was an offensive assistant in New Orleans for four years. It’s telling that Payton brought Doyle along from New Orleans to Denver.

Johnson is going to call plays for the offense, but he needed a trustworthy lieutenant to help him run the offense. In a league that’s always looking for the next young offensive mind, Doyle definitely qualifies as an up-and-coming coach. Clearly Johnson doesn’t see Doyle’s age as an issue.

Doyle is the son of former Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle. Declan Doyle grew up in Iowa City, Iowa, and worked as a student assistant coach at Iowa from 2016-18 while studying for his undergraduate degree.

Richard Hightower, special teams coordinator

Richard Hightower, 44, is a holdover from Eberflus' staff. He will continue to lead the kicking units under Johnson. Prior to joining the Bears in 2022, Hightower spent five years in the same role for the San Francisco 49ers. He previously worked for the Bears in 2016 as assistant special teams coordinator under head coach John Fox.

Hightower and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan were walk-ons together at Texas more than two decades ago. Both earned scholarships just weeks before the 2002 season.

A Houston-area native, Hightower began his coaching career with the Houston Texans in 2006 and worked for a handful of teams in various roles before Shanahan hired him to be his special teams coordinator in 2017.

Antwaan Randle El, assistant head coach and wide receivers coach

Johnson is bringing Antwaan Randle El, 45, with him from Detroit. The former Super Bowl champion wide receiver had been the Lions wide receivers coach since 2021. On his watch, the Lions drafted and developed both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

Randle El grew up in the south suburbs and was a three-sport star at Thornton in the late 1990s. The Cubs drafted him out of high school with a 14th-round pick in 1997, but he elected to play football at Indiana instead. The Steelers later drafted him with a second-round pick in 2002.

Randle El began his coaching career as an offensive assistant for the Buccaneers in 2019. He helped Tampa win a Super Bowl in 2020, then took a job with the Lions the following season.

In addition to wide receivers coach, Randle El will also hold the title of assistant head coach in Chicago.

Al Harris, defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach

Like Randle El, Al Harris is a former NFL player himself. Harris, 50, was a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback for the Packers. He played in Green Bay from 2003-10 and also played with several other teams during his 14-year career.

Harris began his coaching journey as a coaching intern with the Miami Dolphins in 2012, the same season Johnson took a job as an offensive assistant in Miami. Harris then spent the next six seasons on Andy Reid’s staff in Kansas City coaching defensive backs.

After a one-year stint as an assistant at Florida Atlantic, Harris became the DBs coach for the Cowboys in 2020. He added assistant head coach to his title in 2024.