Bears HC Ben Johnson decides to keep one position coach from previous regime

Ben Johnson continues to work on filling out his coaching staff with the Chicago Bears, and he appears to be retaining just one position coach from the previous regime.

Longtime Chicago Bears beat reporter Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune reported Saturday that Jim Dray will return as the team’s tight ends coach. According to Biggs, Dray is the only position coach from Matt Eberflus’ staff who is being retained by Johnson.

Dray, 38, is a former NFL player. He played tight end in the NFL from 2010-2017 and then went into coaching. Dray coached at Stanford, Cleveland, and then with the Arizona Cardinals before joining Eberflus’ staff with the Bears in 2022.

Johnson obviously liked what he saw when talking with Dray. What could help is the way Bears tight end Cole Kmet has played over the past few seasons.

Kmet was a second-round pick by the Bears in the 2020 draft. Over the last three seasons, he has averaged 57 catches for 579 yards and six touchdowns per year.

On offense, the only coaching roles Johnson still has to fill are offensive line coach and running game coordinator. Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen have more progress to make with their defensive hires. Al Harris and Bill Johnson have been hired on defense, but there are still some vacancies that need to be filled.