With Ben Johnson being introduced as the 19th head coach in Chicago Bears franchise history on Wednesday, it is time for him to begin assembling his staff. An early report has former Saints head coach Dennis Allen as the favorite to be the Bears next defensive coordinator, with the potential to pluck Darren Rizzi away from New Orleans as well.
While the idea of bringing in Rizzi to be the Bears special teams coordinator seems unlikely, Allen is very much in play. Even though Johnson will be calling the plays on offense, who his right hand man will be remains unknown as well. Based on a Wednesday report, it appears one member of the Detroit offensive staff will not be following Johnson to Chicago.
Chicago Bears not expected to hire Hank Fraley
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported on Wednesday that Fraley is someone who Johnson will not pursue for his offensive staff in Chicago. Fraley has been the Lions offensive line coach since 2020 and is a former NFL offensive lineman himself. His reputation across the league as one of the top offensive line coaches is major and the fact that Detroit has a strong shot of keeping him around is tough for Chicago.
Fraley could have built up a Bears offensive line that has been an eye sore to watch for the last few seasons. With the exception of Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones, there aren’t many pieces worth saving from the line moving forward. Whether through the draft or free agency, the Chicago Bears front office will need to overhaul the line this offseason if they want to see any success from Caleb Williams in his second season. Unfortunately, the line will not be overseen by Fraley.
Other options for the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator job
While Biggs’ report said Johnson isn’t expected to raid Dan Campbell’s staff, it still is worth considering a few options from Detroit for the Bears offensive coordinator position. When looking at the Lions staff, Tanner Engstrand is an easy candidate to point to for Chicago. He has served as Detroit’s passing game coordinator since 2022 and is well respected within the organization.
Along with Engstrand, former NFL quarterback and current Lions quarterback coach Mark Brunell would make for a good option. The 54-year-old played in the NFL from 1993-2011 and has been on staff in Detroit since 2021. The main issue with the Bears if they are looking at Engstrand or Brunell is that they could be prime candidates to replace Johnson as the Lions offensive coordinator. However, if one or both of them don’t get that promotion, they could be in play for the Bears.
When looking outside the Detroit organization, a couple of names have come to mind in rumors for the job in Chicago. The current tight end coach in San Francisco, Brian Fleury, could make for an interesting fit. He works with Kyle Shanahan and has been on a staff with Johnson before. The two worked in Miami together for two seasons back when Adam Gase was the head coach of the Dolphins.
Another candidate the Bears could look to is Jerrod Johnson. The current Texans quarterback coach has worked hand in hand with C.J. Stroud through his first two NFL seasons. With that coaching background, he might not be a bad guy to have around the Chicago Bears’ franchise quarterback.
New Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson takes slight jab at Matt Eberflus’ regime
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