Let’s Quickly Discuss Some Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator Candidates ...Middle East

What a whirlwind 24 hours it has been for the Chicago Bears.

It began with Ian Cunningham leaving his post as assistant general manager to become the Atlanta Falcons new GM. That move has quite a bit of fallout, which you should probably read up on when you get an opportunity. But that isn’t the only bit of news to come out regarding departures from Halas Hall. Declan Doyle is out as offensive coordinator, stepping down from the gig so he can take the same position with the Baltimore Ravens. For Doyle, the opportunity to call plays for two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson must have been enticing. Hence, I understand why he is leaving town.

Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson was already needing to hire a new running backs coach to replace Eric Bieniemy, who left to return to the Kansas City Chiefs to be Andy Reid’s offensive coordinator. In previous posts, we’ve discussed Duce Staley (he worked with Ben in Detroit and was a previous Bears coaching candidate) and Eric Studesville (was with the Bears head coach while in Miami) as possible candidates. But now, Johnson also needs to hire an offensive coordinator. Below, we’ll discuss some candidates whose names will certainly pop up as possible candidates.

Potential Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator Candidates

These four names immediately came to mind as soon as I pressed publish on the post about Declan Doyle’s departure to become the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator

PRESS TAYLOR — On the one hand, I can’t think about Taylor without remembering how much negative pushback came with the news of his hiring onto Ben Johnson’s staff. However, there wasn’t a moment between then and now when I even thought about Taylor, who holds the passing game coordinator title. Press Taylor is one of a handful of internal candidates who could get promoted. And unlike others on this list, Taylor has experience as an offensive coordinator from his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2022-24. Working as the right-hand man to one of the NFL’s best offensive minds could repair his reputation and boost his coaching stock.

ANTWAAN RANDLE EL — This would be a fun promotion. Randle El is a Chicagoland native who was a fun college quarterback who earned All-American honors at Indiana University and had a solid pro career as a receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Football Team. Before landing in Chicago, Randle El’s coaching stints included stops with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (offensive assistant, 2019-20) and Detroit Lions (WRs coach, 2021-24).

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Now, Randle El, the Bears’ receivers coach, already has an associate head coach title attached to his résumé. So giving him a boost with the offensive coordinator tag isn’t unthinkable. Making him the OC could fast-track him to bigger and better things, which is a gift and a curse. But it would be fun to see how things played out.

J.T. BARRETT — There aren’t too many coaches who have J.T. Barrett’s résumé. Chicago’s quarterbacks coach was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten quarterback, third-team All-American, a national champion, and the first three-time captain in the history of Ohio State football. And while his NFL playing career didn’t take off while he was with the New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, or Pittsburgh Steelers, Barrett’s coaching career certainly has a northward-pointing trajectory. Barrett has been climbing the coaching ranks since 2022, starting as an offensive assistant (2022) with the Detroit Lions before moving up to assistant quarterbacks coach (2023-24) ahead of his departure to Chicago. A step up to offensive coordinator could be on the horizon.

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TANNER ENGSTRAND — The only candidate on my shortlist who isn’t already on Ben Johnson’s staff is someone who the Bears head coach has familiarity with from his time with the Lions. Engstrand and Johnson coached together from 2020-24. Like Johnson, Engstrand served in a variety of roles. After starting as an offensive assistant (2020), Engstrand would hold the following titles: offensive quality control coach (2021), tight ends coach (2022), and passing game coordinator (2022-24). Engstrand left the Lions to become the New York Jets offensive coordinator in 2025, but he was one-and-done after a messy season in the Big Apple. I can’t imagine a better way to rebuild your coaching stock than by joining your old running mate in Chicago.

Let’s keep in mind that Ben Johnson made it a point to not just hire his buddies last offseason. This quote from last February about building a staff stuck with me, so I’m re-sharing it here:

“What’s so beautiful about the coaching staff that we put together is I didn’t hire a bunch of my friends. I went outside of my circle, on purpose, because I wanted to collect a different mix of experience, of energy, ideas, and we’re all going to make it come together and it’s going to be the Chicago Bears going forward.”

So while it would be logical and sensible to make connections to current staffers as possible offensive coordinator candidates, it would not surprise me one bit to see Johnson branch out to other coaching trees. Frankly, I hope he does. That type of mindset helped lead him to hire Declan Doyle. Now feels like a good time to find the next one.

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