Tag: Chicago Bears

Oct 16, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy talks with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Reports: Bears hire Eric Bieniemy as RBs coach

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Less than two weeks after hiring Ben Johnson as their head coach, the Chicago Bears have reportedly added another top offensive mind to their staff.

Eric Bieniemy was hired as Chicago’s running backs coach on Saturday, according to multiple reports, marking the two-time Super Bowl champion’s return to the NFL coaching ranks.

Bieniemy, 55, served as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator for five seasons and helped the Chiefs win league championships in 2019 and 2022. Kansas City’s offense finished among the NFL’s top six in both points and yards per game in all five seasons under Bieniemy.

He became the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator in 2023 but was not retained after the team’s offense struggled during a 4-13 season.

Bieniemy spent 2024 as the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at UCLA, where he coached running backs from 2003 to 2005. He has also been a running backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings (2006-10) and Chiefs (2013-17).

In his return to the NFL, Bieniemy will try to help Johnson improve a Bears offense that managed the fewest yards (284.6) and tied for the fourth-fewest points per game (18.2) last season with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the top overall pick in the 2024 draft.

Johnson, 38, was hired by Chicago on Jan. 21 after spending the past three seasons as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator. Detroit finished among the NFL’s top five in total yards and points per game all three years under Johnson.

–Field Level Media

Thomas Brown will look for his third job in three seasons after the Bears hired Ben Johnson as head coach. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Bears interim coach Thomas Brown moving on

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New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson will not retain interim coach and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.

Brown has interviewed for the play-calling role with the Seattle Seahawks, who fired Ryan Grubb after one season.

Brown was promoted twice by the Bears in 2024, from passing coordinator to offensive coordinator and then to the interim coaching role when Matt Eberflus was fired in November.

Bears team president Kevin Warren established late in the season that Brown would be a candidate to remain head coach. But a different reality came to light at Johnson’s introductory press conference Wednesday at Halas Hall.

Team chairman George McCaskey revealed there was always one candidate — Johnson, who has been offensive coordinator of the Lions for three seasons and on the Detroit coaching staff since 2019 — based on the preference of his football operations staff.

“(GM) Ryan (Poles) says, ‘This is the guy we want,’ and I said, ‘Go get him,’” McCaskey summarized Wednesday.

Brown and Johnson are the same age (38) with much different degrees of success calling plays. The Bears finished last (32nd) in total offense in 2024, but Brown did push rookie No. 1 pick Caleb Williams toward consistently positive results.

Brown went 1-4 as head coach of the Bears, beating the Packers in his final game in January.

In addition to Brown, the Seahawks have interviewed Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley, Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Vikings assistant OC and quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski for their OC role.

Brown played running back at Georgia and was drafted by the Falcons in 2008 before starting his coaching career in the college ranks. He worked for Georgia, Wisconsin, Miami and the College of Charleston and connected with Sean McVay as an offensive assistant with the Rams following one season as offensive coordinator at South Carolina.

Brown was hired as Panthers offensive coordinator in 2023 but moved on after Carolina made another coaching change.

The Athletic reported Thursday that in addition to Brown, the Bears are parting ways with defensive coordinator Eric Washington, interim OC and wideouts coach Chris Beatty, offensive line coach Chris Morgan and QBs coach Kerry Joseph.

–Field Level Media

Jan 22, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson answers questions during a introductory press conference at PNC Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Bears’ Ben Johnson ready to take over ‘sleeping giant’

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Ben Johnson sees a winner in the Windy City, and it didn’t take him long to say as much during his introductory press conference on Wednesday as the head coach of the Chicago Bears.

Wearing a navy blue suit and orange tie, Johnson further embraced his new team by telling reporters that he sees plenty of talent on this Bears team.

“Going into this season, I felt like this place was a sleeping giant,” said Johnson, who spent the past three seasons as the offensive coordinator with the NFC North-rival Detroit Lions.

“To be honest with you, I personally was more concerned about the Chicago Bears than I was about anyone else in this division. Now there’s a number of reasons why that did not unfold, and that’s why I’m here and I’ll get to the bottom of that. We’ll see if we can’t get that corrected and cleaned up.

“But I was very encouraged with what was already on the roster right here. This division, as hard as it is, I’m really excited about competing in it.”

Johnson, 38, takes over a Bears team that floundered to a last-place finish in the division this season. Chicago lost 10 straight after its promising start, including a 23-20 defeat at Detroit on Thanksgiving Day that led to the firing of coach Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29.

Johnson will aim to improve a Bears offense that managed the fewest yards (284.6) and tied for the fourth-fewest points per game (18.2) in the NFL with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the top overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Williams completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,541 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for 489 yards, however he was sacked a league-high 68 times.

“It’s clear that modern football in the NFL is quarterback-driven. That is no secret,” Johnson said. “You can look at analytics, right now quarterback success is a higher predictor of winning and losing than turnover ratio — which has been for 20-plus years. That’s changed. There is no doubt, Caleb played a large component into my decision. He is a phenomenal talent that had, as many quarterbacks do, an up-and-down rookie year.

“Where I see my role is as a supporter of him. This offense will be calibrated with him in mind. We’re going to build this thing. This is not simply a dropping of a previous playbook down on the table and starting there — no. We’re ripping this thing down to the studs and we’re going to build it up with him (in mind) first and foremost, and then with the pieces around him next. I really look forward to challenging him and pushing him, as I said before, to continue to grow and develop.”

Under Johnson, Detroit boasted the league’s top scoring offense this season (33.2 points per game) and finished second in average total yards (409.5). The Lions’ points (564) and regular-season wins (15) this season were franchise records.

Now, Johnson is tasked with turning around the Bears — and he said Wednesday that he doesn’t think they are far off.

“Walking in this building yesterday gave me goosebumps,” Johnson said. “I don’t think many people understand how set up for success this place already is. This facility is outstanding. It is an A-plus facility. And I look forward to meeting all the people in this facility and getting to work.”

The Bears have not been to the playoffs since the 2020 season. Chicago has not won a playoff game since the 2010 campaign.

–Field Level Media

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Bears interview three more for head coaching vacancy

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The Chicago Bears have interviewed three candidates for their head coaching position since Friday.

The Bears announced Saturday they had met with with Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. On Friday, they confirmed interviews with Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

The Bears (5-12) fired head coach Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29 after a 4-8 start.

Flores, 43, has been with the Vikings for two seasons after serving as linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant with Pittsburgh in 2022. He was 24-25 as head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21.

Brady, 35, was officially named the Bills’ offensive coordinator last January after holding the interim tag since Ken Dorsey’s firing in mid-November 2023. He was the OC for the Carolina Panthers from 2020-21.

Monken, 58, is in his second season with Baltimore. He also was an OC with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2016-18) and Cleveland Browns (2019) and was the head coach at Southern Miss from 2013-15.

The Bears have cast a wide net in their search, including an interview with interim coach Thomas Brown. Other names linked to the vacancy include former NFL head coaches Pete Carroll, Mike McCarthy, Ron Rivera and Arthur Smith, and coordinators Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson, Mike Kafka, Drew Petzing and Anthony Weaver.

The Bears reportedly were rebuffed when they asked the Pittsburgh Steelers to discuss a potential trade for head coach Mike Tomlin, ESPN reported Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Nov 28, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) calls out signals under center against the Chicago Bears in the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Lions win 10th straight game as Bears mismanage clock

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Jared Goff connected with Sam LaPorta for two touchdowns and the Detroit Lions extended their winning streak to 10 games by holding off the visiting Chicago Bears, 23-20 on Thursday.

The streak matches the franchise record established during their first season in Detroit in 1934. The Lions snapped a seven-game losing streak in their annual Thanksgiving Day game.

Goff passed for 221 yards, while David Montgomery had 124 scrimmage yards. Jahmyr Gibbs added a combined 104 yards for Detroit (11-1), which owns the best record in the NFC.

Caleb Williams threw for 256 yards and three second-half touchdowns for the Bears (4-8), who have lost six straight. DJ Moore caught eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Chicago’s poor clock management on its last possession allowed Detroit to hold on.

The Lions outgained the Bears 279-53 in the first half and grabbed a 16-0 lead.

Detroit controlled the ball for nearly eight minutes after the opening kickoff but settled for a 30-yard Jake Bates field goal. The Bears went three-and-out on their first possession.

The Lions then methodically moved 90 yards down the field in 10 plays and scored on the first play of the second quarter, a 3-yard pass from Goff to LaPorta.

The Lions added 36 and 48 yard field goals by Bates.

The Bears got on the scoreboard on the opening possession of the second half. Williams finished off the 74-yard drive with a 31-pass to Keenan Allen.

The Lions answered with a touchdown. That drive was completed by Goff’s 1-yard toss to LaPorta to make it 23-7.

Chicago cut the deficit to 23-13 on Williams’ 9-yard scoring pass to Allen with 13:40 remaining. Williams threw an incompletion on the 2-point try.

Bates missed a 45-yard field goal try with 8:42 left. The Bears then made it a three-point game with 5:36 remaining on Williams’ 31-yard scoring pass to Moore.

The Lions were forced to punt on their next possession but it was downed on the Bears 1-yard line. A pass interference penalty against Detroit on fourth-and-14 allowed Chicago’s drive to continue in the final minute.

After a sack left the ball on the Chicago 41-yard line with 32 seconds left, the Bears failed to call a timeout on third down and the clock ran out on a Williams incompletion.

–Field Level Media

Sep 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds (38) before the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Report: Bears working out free agent S Terrell Edmunds

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Free agent safety Terrell Edmunds is working out with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday, NFL Network reported.

His younger brother, Tremaine Edmunds, is a starting linebacker for the Bears (4-6).

Terrell Edmunds, 27, was a first-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2018 and was released by the Steelers on Nov. 9.

He has recorded six interceptions, 7.5 sacks and 465 tackles in 101 games (79 starts) with the Steelers (2018-22, 2024), Philadelphia Eagles (2023), Tennessee Titans (2023) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2024).

–Field Level Media