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Vikings defensive backs coach Daronte Jones is one of three reported candidates for Bears defensive coordinator. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ben Johnson's D-coordinator candidates include Daronté Jones

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Gene Chamberlain | Last updated Jan 23, 2025 8:52 PM ET

Two days and two surprise Chicago Bears defensive coordinator interview requests.

It's all enough to make reports of Dennis Allen's name as a potential Bears defensive coordinator seem a little less than the lock it had originally been reported to be.

The Bears have requested to interview Vikings defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Daronté Jones, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Jones has worked for various well respected coordinators and coaches. He has been on Brian Flores' Vikings staff the last two years and was with the Vikings in 2020 before he was at LSU in 2021.

Washington heads to the NFC Championship under the leadership of the coach the Bears could've hired in 2022, the offensive coordinator the Bears could've hired in 2024, and the quarterback the Bears could've drafted in 2024.
— Collin Corbett (@CollinCorbett) January 19, 2025

In 2018-19, he was with the Bengals as cornerbacks coach under former head coach Sherman Lewis.

Jones has been with high school, college or pro teams as an assistant coach since 2001. He even had one year (2011) working in the CFL for the Montreal Alouettes under coach Marc Trestman, the former Bears head coach.

the bears' clear best offensive coordinator is caleb williams based on all the success they have with tempo and all the garbage they sow when playing at a straight-up pace
— @robertzeglinski.bsky.social (@RobertZeglinski) November 3, 2024

The Bears had also asked to speak with Rams defensive passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant on Wednesday, a day after reports of interest in Allen came out.

ESPN's Adam Schefter has labeled Allen the leading Bears candidate.

There are no announced or reported offensive coordinator candidates yet but the team still has special teams coordinator Richard Hightower under contract.

Just realized when the Bears kick off the 2025 season, they will have had 5 different offensive coordinators over their last 19 games.

That has to be some kind of record, right?
— Bill Zimmerman (@BillTZimmerman) January 23, 2025

It was Hightower who authored the fake punt for a touchdown in the season-ending win over Green Bay. Hightower's special teams were ranked top 10 in Dan Fornek's special teams rankings, a ranking based on overal standing in various categories lisimilar to the one longtime NFL writer Rick Goesslin created that has long been used across the NFL by special teams.

Nothing but respect for Thomas Brown. The man went from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator to interim head coach with a checked out locker room in the matter of 17 days.

I wish him nothing but the best moving forward. #Bears pic.twitter.com/qkiwJqTlgj
— Aaron Leming (@AaronLemingNFL) January 23, 2025

Hightower's special teams accomplishments include having a punter who broke the Bears record for average yards per punt, a kicker who set the team record for most field goals of 50-plus yards.

The Bears were the only team with two blocked field goals this season but also the only team with two blocked punts. They had one of only five onside kick recoveries by the kicking team

As a team, they were fourth in punt return average and 12th in kick return average.

The #Bears requested to interview #Vikings passing game coordinator/DBs coach Daronte Jones for their defensive coordinator position, source said. Jones is highly respected having worked with defensive minds such as Brian Flores, Vance Joseph, and Marvin Lewis, among others.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 23, 2025