Catching up with the latest rumors and reports regarding potential assistant coach hirings and targets for Ben Johnson’s first coaching staff as the Chicago Bears’ head coach.
Dennis Allen expected to be the next Bears defensive coordinator
Nothing is official until it is officially official. Now that I have written that caveat, I can write that all signs are pointing to the Bears hiring Dennis Allen as the team’s next defensive coordinator. Here is what Brad Biggs had to say about it in his latest at the Chicago Tribune:
While no announcement has been made official, multiple sources believe former Saints and Raiders head coach Dennis Allen will be hired as defensive coordinator.
If you’ll recall, the Bears sent out interview requests for Minnesota Vikings assistant Daronte Jones and Los Angeles Rams assistant Aubrey Pleasant to interview for the DC opening. If those interviews were successfully completed, then Chicago would be compliant with the Rooney Rule and could finalize a coaching hire soon.
MORE: How the New Bears Coaching Staff Could Include Dennis Allen
As for Dennis Allen, he has twice been a head coach and I feel as if hiring a former head coach is a priority for Ben Johnson. With that being said, Allen’s best work has been as a defensive assistant and coordinator. Allen has served as DC for the Denver Broncos (2011) and New Orleans Saints (2015-21). His rรฉsumรฉ is a good one. Once the hire becomes officially official, we’ll dive deep into it. Until then, we’re in a holding pattern.
J.T. Barrett is lined up to be Caleb Williams’ QB coach
In 2023, the Chicago Bears were being led by an Ohio State quarterback. Fast forward to 2025 and a former Buckeyes signal-caller is set to coach its current QB:
Joe Thomas Barrett IV (a.k.a. J.T.) was one of college football’s best quarterbacks in his time. And I love what was written in his draft profile by Lance Zierlein. Barrett was a three-time Big Ten Quarterback of the Year (2014, 2016, 2017), was the conference’s MVP (2016), earned first-team all-conference honors three times (2014, 2016, 2017), and was a third-team All-American (2017). It’s a shame that productivity didn’t follow him to the pros, but it seems as if Barrett has found his niche as a coach. And now, he’ll bring his coaching skills to the Bears.
Barrett’s coaching career began in 2022 as an offensive assistant with the Detroit Lions before spending the last two seasons as the team’s assistant quarterbacks coach. I do not know how many more Lions will follow Johnson from Detroit to Chicago, but the two the Bears have reeled in as of now are fun additions.
Once that hire becomes officially official, I’ll gladly dive into his profile.
David Shaw, Declan Doyle, and Israel Woolfork interview for OC position
ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped this off on Saturday night:
The Bears brass must really be into David Shaw, who interviewed for the head coaching position earlier in the month. Shaw is one of football’s most respected coaches. And while he hasn’t been a head coach in a while, Shaw is a respected mind whose football IQ is something that Ben Johnson might value โย particularly as a non-playcalling offensive coordinator.
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reports that Broncos TEs Coach Declan Doyle interviewed for the Bears OC position and is a top candidate for the gig. If you’ll recall, it was Pelissero who had Chicago’s football team as the “best bet” to be the landing spot for Ben Johnson and was the one who broke the news of the new coach’s hiring on Twitter/X. In other words, let’s keep tabs on Pelissero’s reporting when it comes to Bears stuff. It’s been accurate as heck.
I’m not sure how to relay this, so I’ll do it as plainly as possible: Declan Doyle and David Shaw have connections to the Broncos, who are coached by Sean Payton. Payton also has strong ties to Dennis Allen from their time in New Orleans. Ben Johnson worked with Dan Campbell, who also worked for Sean Payton. It is fun to play connect the dots with the former Bears QB.
One OC candidate for the road:
In January 2024, ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss wrote about Arizona Cardinals assistant Israel Woolfork. The piece featured this anecdote that caught my eye:
Woolfork prides himself on not having a one-size-fits-all approach. He tries to adapt his coaching persona to the players he’s coaching.
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He’s been intentional with how he’s built his own style. He studied how younger players learn these days, whether it’s in an auditory, visual or kinesthetic style.
“I think that we tend as coaches to draw a line like, ‘This is this is the way I’m doing it. This is my process. This is how it should be done,'” Woolfork said. “Which I think is kind of barbaric.
“I don’t want to get up here and preach and stand on my pedestal and do my job. Like, ‘I’m here to help you at the end of the day. How can I serve you guys? What do you need for me to be the best player possible?'”
Figuring out that some players learn better by working on the board or by taking notes or by going through a walk-through has allowed Woolfork to connect with each player individually, but also bring them along at the same pace.
What a fascinating perspective. I am unsure if he will land the gig in Chicago, but I am very much into his coaching philosophy as it is presented above.
If you’ll recall, the Bears had Cardinals OC Drew Petzing on their interview wish list for the head coach opening earlier in January. And if you’d like to know more about that, Patrick has a profile you can dig into at your own leisure. I imagine Woolfork’s name came up in the conversation. The Cardinals QB coach has played a role in Kyle Murray’s comeback from surgery and could be someone whose coaching arrow is pointing up soon.