The Chicago Bears might have the best-kept secret on their coaching staff, and he might not be an employee of the organization for long.
Bears defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Al Harris is currently in his first year with the team, having spent the last five years as an assistant under Mike McCarthy, where he previously coached the Dallas Cowboys. Harris has also had stints with the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, and Florida Atlantic.
Many may remember Harris for his time in the NFL, where he played cornerback from 1997 to 2011. He's most known for playing for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers, as he was a two-time Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro in 2007 with Green Bay.
Harris has established a nice career as a defensive back coach and continues to do great work. His job in 2025, however, might be the most impressive, to the point that he may not be in Chicago for long.
Harris's coaching job might land him a defensive coordinator job soon enough
It has been a turbulent first season coaching the Bears' secondary for Harris mostly due to all the injuries he has dealt with. Before the regular season, he had to deal with Jaylon Johnson missing all of training camp with his groin injury and Kyler Gordon missed part of camp injured as well. One of his best backup corners, Terell Smith, was placed on injured reserve and lost for the season.
During the regular season, it was more of the same. Gordon hasn't played a single snap, and Johnson has only played one half of football this season. Instead, it has been Tyrique Stevenson moving up as CB1, Nahshon Wright as CB2, and Nick McCloud as the nickel.
While it hasn't been perfect, the trio has actually held up well. Stevenson has been stellar over the last two weeks, playing the best he has ever played in his career. Against the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders, Stevenson has recorded three pass deflections and an interception, while also being targeted 12 times, allowing just three catches for 16 yards.
Wright came up big in the opening game against the Minnesota Vikings with the highlight play of the game, with his pick-six on J.J. McCarthy. McCloud has also been able to hold his own, as he showed good improvement in the win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
The good news is that Johnson is unlikely to be lost for the season, and Gordon is on track to return after the bye week against the Washington Commanders. Harris' secondary is currently holding a respectable 19th ranking in the NFL in pass defense, allowing 215 yards per game.
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Chicago still has a long way to go, but Harris is slowly proving himself to be worthy of a shot at being a defensive coordinator elsewhere after the season. The Bears might have to be careful not to lose one of their top assistants.