It wasn't even a day after the Chicago Bears were eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Rams that they learned they were losing a coach on the staff.
Bears running back coach Eric Bieniemy is expected to take the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator job after just one year in Chicago. Head coach Ben Johnson did not wait very long to potentially find his replacement, as CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz first reported and The Chicago Sun-Times's Patrick Finley confirmed that Boston College offensive coordinator Will Lawing would be joining the Bears' coaching staff.
Boston College offensive coordinator Will Lawing is set to depart the program with the Chicago Bears as a potential landing spot for him, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 20, 2026
Before BC, Lawing worked for teams like the New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Alabama. pic.twitter.com/DrNWNEekXb
Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien confirmed the news during his press conference as he talked about Lawing leaving for the Bears.
“He’s been with me for a long time — he would describe that as dog years,” O’Brien told Boston College reporters via The Chicago Sun-Times. “But he had a great opportunity to go work for Ben [Johnson]. He went to North Carolina with Ben, and obviously the Bears are doing a great job. So we wish him the best.”
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Lawing spent the last two years at Boston College as the offensive coordinator, coaching the tight ends under O'Brien. This is not Lawing's first NFL job, as he previously served as an assistant with the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots.
Johnson and Lawing both went to North Carolina at the exact same time from 2004 through 2007. Lawing was playing wide receiver while Johnson was the quarterback.
It's unclear whether Lawing will join the coaching staff as a running backs coach, since his background is more as a tight ends coach, but he will be on the staff in some capacity. With his experience as an offensive coordinator, Lawing has proven to be a good coach and can help the Bears' already stellar offense.
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Bears fans will have to see what Lawing does with the team, but this seems to be a home run move by Johnson.