Bears’ success in 2025 will present massive challenge for Ben Johnson in 2026 offseason

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And the NFL is very much a copycat league. So, when Ben Johnson turns the Chicago Bears into a viable Super Bowl contender in his first year on the job, you can bet teams around the league will look to poach some of that magic.

And by poach, I mean hire his assistant coaches.

It’s a big challenge that winning teams face annually, and for the first time in basically forever, the Bears will be in the middle of those offseason crosshairs in a few weeks’ time.

According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, Johnson is bracing for the Bears’ coaching staff to get raided.

“There are several coordinator candidates who dot this staff,” Jones wrote. “Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle doesn’t call plays, but he’s been under Johnson’s tutelage all season long and hasn’t yet turned 30. The Bears could block teams from interviewing Doyle for their OC position if they so choose.

“But outside of Doyle and the other coordinators, the Bears can’t block teams from interviewing other assistant coaches. Press Taylor has been revitalized in Chicago as the pass game coordinator in his first major offensive role without Doug Pederson as the head coach. J.T. Barrett, the former Ohio State quarterback, has been working his way up the coaching ladder the past few years, and the Bears quarterbacks coach will likely get OC interviews this cycle.”

Bears’ top assistant coach is on defensive side of the ball

Perhaps the hottest name in the 2026 coaching cycle will be the Bears’ defensive backs coach, Al Harris. He’s been the lifeforce behind Chicago, leading the NFL in takeaways, and there’s no doubt a team that’s searching for a defensive facelift will tab him as their preferred defensive coordinator.

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“Harris, Chicago’s team’s defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator, has overseen a unit responsible for a league-leading 21 interceptions,” Jones wrote. “A coach the past 13 years, Harris was previously with the Cowboys. In his final four years in Dallas, the Cowboys had the most interceptions in the league with 72 between 2021 to 2024. He had Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland as first-team All Pros. Today, the Cowboys have the second-fewest interceptions in the league this season.”

For as much as the Bears’ offensive assistants provide value to Johnson, it’s Harris who would be the most significant loss for this team in 2026.

Indeed, Dennis Allen has proven to be a capable defensive coordinator in 2025, but it’s Harris whose group of defensive backs has time and again bailed Chicago out of dire situations.

Still, Bears Nation should be proud of the coaching staff that Ben Johnson has assembled. And there should be no shortage of confidence in Johnson’s ability to identify quality replacements if his coaches move on.