The Chicago Bears' coaching search is expected to move quickly this week so buckle up because there's a high chance someone gets an offer in the coming days.
The Bears will soon begin the second round of interviews with a much smaller pool of potential candidates for the job. These interviews will be held in-person at Halas Hall to hopefully finalize the decision before any other team strikes first.
Last week, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz noted he believes the Bears' head coaching search is a "two-horse race" between Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former Dallas Cowboys' head coach Mike McCarthy. Now, a lot can still change in the ever-evolving cycle but it's safe to assume those are the top two guys.
Both should be expected to be invited back to Halas Hall this week and conduct another interview with the team. McCarthy already had one in-person interview on January 15th while Johnson met virtually with the Bears on January 11th. Therefore, this second meeting with Johnson will be a critical one for the outcome of the search.
But, if we're saying the search is narrowed down to these top two candidates, let's break down the potential coordinators the two could bring in, because the Bears aren't just searching for a new head coach in this year's cycle.
Mike McCarthy Potential Coordinators
When it comes to who McCarthy brings in to complete his staff, either with the Bears or with another team, the decision might be an easy one. Unlike Johnson, McCarthy has already been a head coach and had to hire his own staff before.
After his contract ran out with the Cowboys, the same thing happened to the rest of the coaches on his staff. That means it'll be an easy move for McCarthy to bring the majority of his guys over from Dallas to Chicago if that's what he prefers to do. If so, here would be his candidates, but also another option to consider.
Offensive Coordinator: Brian Schottenheimer (Second Choice: Scott Tolzien)
Defensive Coordinator: Mike Zimmer (Second Choice: Al Harris)
Special Teams Coordinator: John Fassel (Second Choice: Rayna Stewart)
This would make for a solid staff in Chicago with a lot of experience. Schottenheimer has spent 14 seasons as an NFL OC and has previously worked with quarterbacks such as Dak Prescott, Trevor Lawrence, Russell Wilson, and Andrew Luck. As a second choice, Scott Tolzien (whom Schottenheimer coached as a player) was made the Cowboys QB coach in 2023 and could be ready for the next step if Schottenheimer takes another job (Schottenheimer interviewed for the OC job with the Seahawks).
As for Mike Zimmer, the former Vikings' coach knows the division well and was named McCarthy's defensive coordinator in 2024 after Dan Quinn was hired in Washington. Zimmer recently spoke about his future and didn't rule out the retirement option. If he goes that route, Al Harris makes the most sense. Harris played four seasons in Green Bay under McCarthy and was his assistant head coach and DBs coach in Dallas.
Ben Johnson Potential Coordinators
Like I said above, if the Bears or any other team decides to hire Johnson, he will be constructing his own coaching staff for the first time in his coaching career.
With that being the case, one would expect Johnson to bring along some of his assistants with him from the Lions, saying they wouldn't rather stay and get promoted on Dan Campbell's staff in Detroit. Johnson could also be fighting for assistants with Aaron Glenn, if Glenn also lands a job. Here are some names Johnson could consider bringing along with him to his next stop, credit Mike Payton for some of these names.
Offensive Coordinator: Hank Fraley (Second choice: Tanner Engstrand)
Defensive Coordinator: Lou Anarumo (Second choice: George Edwards)
Special Teams Coordinator: Darren Rizzi (Second choice: Jett Modkins)
The Bears would be ecstatic if Johnson could swing Hank Fraley from the Lions, the guy who was responsible for helping build one of the best offensive lines in the entire league. If Johnson can't swing his top choice, Lions' passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand would be another viable option to bring with him.
As for Johnson's defensive coordinator, we're going with a non-Lions guy but someone who still has connections with Johnson. The former Bengals defensive coordinator worked on staff with Johnson in Miami for five years. Another option Johnson could consider would be George Edwards, who also worked with Johnson with the Dolphins and spent six seasons as the Vikings defensive coordinator.
Darren Rizzi will have a lot of team's interested in him after spending the second-half of the season as the Saints' interim head coach. He's already had a few head coaching interviews this cycle but could return to a special teams coordinator role. Lions' assistant special teams coordinator Jett Modkins would be another name to watch.
