Windy City Gridiron
Ben Johnson’s quest to fill out his first-ever coaching staff is winding down. With all of the major hires made and a better idea of what to expect, we’ll dive deeper into a handful of new coaches and what we expect.
With Super Bowl 59 just days away, most teams are in scramble mode to fill out their coaching staffs before the combine at the end of this month. The Chicago Bears were one of seven teams to make head coaching changes. Even so, plenty of additional teams made key changes to their coordinators and support staff. That left plenty of competition for head coach Ben Johnson and the team’s front office to go out and execute any plan they opted for.
Going into the process, it was said that Johnson had an “All-Star” staff lined up to hire. As his agent, Rick Smith, noted on 2nd City Gridiron’s podcast hosted by Bill Zimmerman, it can be difficult for even the most veteran of coaches to get their No. 1 choice when filling out their coaching staff. Despite Johnson being the hot candidate during this cycle, backup plans became essential. With most of the coaching staff filled out, it’s time to look at some of the names that highlighted the 2025 staff.
Most Expected: DC Dennis Allen
Thanks to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Allen’s name came to the forefront of the Bears’ coordinator search right out of the gate. Truthfully, I hadn’t considered a connection between the two, but when looking at crossovers and experience, I realized that the tie wasn’t exactly obvious. In reality, Johnson leaned on his former head coach, Dan Campbell’s connections to the New Orleans Saints organization and Sean Payton. As we learned, the connection between the Saints, Payton, and Campbell played a significant role in filling out this staff.
Once Schefter tied the two together in Chicago, it felt like a matter of time before it was done. During Allen’s opening press conference, he talked about Johnson reaching out to him mid-season to gauge interest in being on his upcoming coaching staff. The mutual respect the two men had for each other’s schemes ultimately helped this bond become a reality.
Allen is a two-time failed head coach. The chances of him getting a third opportunity are slim. Even if that change were to come, we’d be talking about five-plus years down the road. Allen is an outstanding defensive mind who can call a defense with the best of them. Johnson will be able to lean on the veteran coach’s experience as a head coach while also not needing to worry as much about the defensive side of the ball. Johnson appears to have done just that in terms of first-time head coaches needing to “ace” their first coordinator hire on the opposite side of the ball. Even better: Allen calls his defense with a similarly aggressive mindset to Johnson on the offensive side of the ball.
Least Expected: RB Coach Eric Bieniemy
Heading into this coaching...
