A key driver of the Chicago Bears' success this season has been a league-high +20 turnover margin heading into Week 16. That has been driven, despite some notable injury absences in the secondary, by a league-high 21 interceptions and a league-high 30 takeaways.
The work the Bears' secondary has done is another positive mark on the coaching resume of defensive backs coach Al Harris. After 14 seasons as a cornerback in the league (1998-2011), he has risen through the coaching ranks over the last several years. Ben Johnson bringing him to his staff in Chicago looked like a big win when it happened, and that has been proven.
If things hold up over the final three weeks of the season, Harris will have coached three of the last five NFL interception leaders for a season. And if Bears safety Kevin Byard doesn't keep his current league lead, cornerback Nahshon Wright is lurking just one behind him with five interceptions.
The work Harris has done with Wright this season is of particular note, with injuries to Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Tyrique Stevenson opening up an opportunity for the former Cowboys and Vikings' castoff to shine.
Wright was with the Cowboys for three years (2021-2023) when Harris was the defensive backs coach there. So when the Vikings released Wright in April, it's likely Harris was consulted, and making the move to bring Wright in surely came with an endorsement.
Richard Sherman puts himself atop the list of Al Harris advocates
Earlier this month, former NFL cornerback and Amazon "Thursday Night Football" analyst Richard Sherman highlighted the role Harris has had in the Bears' defensive turnaround this season.
I don’t think the impact Al Harris is having in Chicago is being talked about enough. His years in Dallas they were always amongst the league leaders in INTs and in Chicago it’s the same story.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) December 5, 2025
Most recently, as he reviewed Week 15 around the NFL on his eponymous podcast, Sherman greased the skids for the next step on Harris' coaching track.
"I think Al Harris is going to get major consideration to be a defensive coordinator in this league", Sherman said. "It just so happens that the teams that he's coaching get a lot of turnovers. Every time you turn on the tape, their DBs are making plays."
It's a matter of time before Harris becomes a defensive coordinator. He will be a candidate for openings in multiple places after the season if he wants to pursue those opportunities, with the Cowboys and the New York Jets already prominent on that list.
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Maybe Harris will follow the example of the head coach he's working under in Chicago and wait for what he sees as the most ideal opportunity to make the next move in his career. But there's a real possibility he is gone after just one season on the Bears' staff.