With the reported hiring by the Bears of Eric Bieniemy as running backs coach, one major issue no longer exists for the offensive coaching staff assembled by coach Ben Johnson.
Instead, it could open up an entirely different door leading to potential trouble but it will quite some time before that's even apparent.
When Johnson hired Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator at age 28, it raised eyebrows but it was only as table-setting offensive coordinator without play-calling experience.
Then came the hiring of Press Taylor, the former Jacksonville offensive coordinator but he is only a passing game coordinator. It's a vague term and can mean numerous things to different people.
What it looked like was a potential problem with a former offensive coordinator who struggled in his final year with Jacksonville now being in a position where he could be in conflict with a younger coach in the higher
The addition of Bieniemy as running backs coach can be a stabilizing factor, if he is not still entirely focused on becoming a head coach as it appeared with he had a reported 17 interviews for head coaching jobs without ever getting one. He did get offered one by the school he played for, Colorado, in 2020 but had zeroed in on NFL jobs.
This looks promising from the standpoint that Bieniemy is a running backs coach, so his responsibilities would not interfere with the other two.
Is it too many cooks in the kitchen spoiling the broth? It hardly seems to be the case with the roles as drastically different as they are, but it would be easy for worry-warts to see the possibility two more experienced coaches can trample all over the younger offensive coordinator's responsibilities. Then again, it's Johnson calling the plays.
There is something far more important involved, though.
They hired three coaches onto the offensive staff in Bieniemy, Taylor and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El who have been on staffs that won Super Bowls.
Johnson never has done this, although he was part of a franchise rising from NFL depths to make the conference championship game.
Taylor was a QB assistant on the Eagles' staff in 2017 when Nick Foles did his super relief job for injured Carson Wentz and beat Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Randle El was the wide receivers coach for the Buccaneers when they beat Mahomes in the Super Bowl in the 2020 season. And Bieniemy served as Andy Reid's offensive coordinator when they won Lombardi Trophies in 2019 and 2022 and lost one in 2020.
That's a great deal of successful coaching, and winning the Lombardi Trophy is something even Johnson can't say is on his resume.
Part of the problem of the previous coaching regime was the lack of assistants who had the experience of winning it all. Receivers coach Tyke Tolbert had in Denver but was fired after 2023. They brought in Thomas Brown in 2024 as a passing game coordinator and he had won it in 2021 with the Rams.
When Johnson spoke after his hiring, he had ideas about bringing in winning coaches.
"I really believe that we're going to be able to find some great candidates out there that want to come to Chicago for a number of reasons but they will be able to help guide and show me the way," he said.
The Bears are now being led by coaches who are adequately experienced at winning as they set about trying to show players how to win it all. It's not often in recent memory when they could say this is the case about the staff.
One thing the players all wanted to see with new coaches was a group that would hold them accountable. Super Bowl winners know how to do this and they automatically command respect other coaches can't.
As for guiding Johnson and showing him the way, ownership and management already thought he knew this or they might not have hired him, but a little help never hurts.
