Ben Johnson is making progress building his staff two days after he was introduced as coach of the Chicago Bears.
The former Lions offensive coordinator is bringing an assistant with him from Detroit. Antwaan Randle El, the Thornton High product who starred in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, will be on Johnson’s staff, multiple sources said. It’s believed Randle El, 45, will be the wide receivers coach.
The Bears also are expected to hire Al Harris — who was a nemesis for them when he was a Green Bay Packers cornerback — as a secondary coach. Harris spent the last five seasons as a secondary coach for the Dallas Cowboys and has been mentioned as a possible coordinator candidate the last few seasons.
Randle El, who threw a touchdown pass to Hines Ward as a member of the Steelers in Super Bowl XL, has been in coaching since 2019. He started with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and moved to the Lions in 2021 where he worked with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and others.
It’s likely the Bears will retain special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, but the team has yet to make any announcement on staff additions.