Moving forward, the Chicago Bears find themselves in an interesting position with Ben Johnson as their head coach.
If Johnson's hiring works as intended, the offensive coordinator role on the Bears' coaching staff won't nearly be as significant as it has been for much of the past two decades. The benefit to having Johnson as the head coach for the Bears is that there won't be this fear of the team needing to install a new offense for Caleb Williams in the event he has success. If Williams has success, Johnson isn't going anywhere.
When news first broke that Johnson was going to be the Bears' head coach, early speculation pointed toward Detroit Lions' assistant Hank Fraley making the jump to Chicago as well. Since then, however, reports have suggested that Fraley won't be joining the Bears' coaching staff.
Brad Biggs has been the one to suggest Fraley won't be following Johnson to the Bears and, instead, the Chicago Tribune reporter has a different name that Bears fans may want to monitor.
One name linked to #Bears in their quest to fill Ben Johnson's staff is #Broncos TE coach Declan Doyle.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) January 24, 2025
He joined Denver in '23 after 4 years with the #Saints. The connection of course is Dan Campbell.
Chicago would likely to have to give him OC title to get him out of Denver.
The Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator hire likely won't be a flashy name.
Declan Doyle has followed Sean Payton at each stop, serving as an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints before joining Payton's staff with the Broncos. If Doyle is a priority target for Johnson's coaching staff, the Bears likely will interview him under the premise of offering the offensive coordinator position.
It may be an underwhelming name for Bears fans but it's important to note that the offensive coordinator hire won't be flashy. The pipe dream of the Bears adding someone like Bobby Slowik as an offensive coordinator doesn't make too much sense considering Johnson will be serving as the team's play caller. A coach like Doyle would make sense as it would allow him to continue his development as a coach while having an offensive coordinator role attached to his résumé.