Bears hire Richard Hightower as special teams coordinator, Jim Dray as tight ends coach

The Bears have poached special teams coordinator Richard Hightower away from the San Francisco 49ers to fill the same role in Chicago.

Hightower, 41, previously served as the Bears’ assistant special teams coordinator for one season in 2016. He has 15 years of NFL coaching experience, including the last five as a special teams coordinator in San Francisco.

Hightower has been coaching in the NFL since since 2006, working his way up through the assistant coaching ranks on offense, defense and special teams at various times. Last season, he guided a 49ers special teams unit that dominated against the Green Bay Packers in a divisional round playoff victory. Hightower’s unit blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and blocked a field goal attempt earlier in the game. He worked closely with 49ers kicker, and former Bears kicker, Robbie Gould. Special teams was a huge reason why San Francisco reached the NFC championship game.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has now filled all three off his coordinator positions. Hightower joins offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and defensive coordinator Alan Williams as the top three assistants under Eberflus.

[ Bears hire Colts safeties coach Alan Williams as defensive coordinator ]

[ Bears hire Packers QB coach Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator ]

New tight ends coach: The Bears have also hired 35-year-old Jim Dray as tight ends coach. Dray most recently served as an offensive quality control assistant with the Browns (2019) and Cardinals (2020-21).

Dray played eight seasons in the NFL as a tight end with the Cardinals, Browns, Bills and 49ers. He caught 56 passes for 605 yards and three touchdowns during his career.

Dray began his coaching career as an offensive assistant at Stanford in 2018 before jumping into the NFL ranks.

New assistant O-line coach: The Bears also hired Austin King as their assistant offensive line coach Monday. King, 40, most recently served as the tight ends coach for the Las Vegas Raiders. He will serve under new Bears offensive line coach Chris Morgan.

King grew up in Cincinnati and played college football at Northwestern. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him in the fourth round of the 2003 draft. As a player, he was a center for the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-06, appearing in 34 games.

He spent the last 10 years as a coach, including two with the Raiders as offensive quality control coach (2020) and tight ends coach (2021). Prior to coaching in the NFL, King coached at Toledo (2012-13), Syracuse (2014) and Dayton (2015-19).