Bears make 4 coaching hires official

The Bears emerged from the offseason coaching carousel with no changes to their defensive staff but significant moves on the other side of the ball.

The team made its four offensive hires official Wednesday, headlined by the promotion of pass game coordinator Press Taylor to offensive coordinator. Head coach Ben Johnson will continue to call plays. Declan Doyle, the coordinator last year, left for a job with the Ravens, where he will have play-calling duties.

Running backs coach Eric Studesville, who worked for the Bears from 1997-2000 and later alongside Johnson with the Dolphins, takes the place of Eric Bieniemy, who became the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator.

Will Lawing, the former Boston College offensive coordinator, was named an offensive analyst. He and Johnson played together at North Carolina, Lawing at receiver and Johnson at quarterback.

Isaiah Ford was named the team’s quality control coach. He played receiver for the Dolphins from 2018-21, which overlapped with Johnson's tenure, and was briefly a member of the Bears in 2023.

All the additions but Ford were previously reported by the Sun-Times, though Lawing’s specific role was unclear before Wednesday.

Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles are expected to address coaching staff changes, and other topics, when they speak to the media Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.