Bear Digest

Chicago Bears Short One Position on Announcement of Coaching Staff

Will Lawing's coaching role has been clarified by the Bears, although their announcement about the official 2026 staff doesn't include one position they had last year.
Gene Chamberlain|
Former Bears receiver Isaiah Ford will be a quality control assistant for the team this season.
Former Bears receiver Isaiah Ford will be a quality control assistant for the team this season. | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The great mystery of what Will Lawing will do for Bears coach Ben Johnson and staff has been settled.

The Bears officially announced their coaching moves on Tuesday after many had been widely reported. However, with this they detailed the position that Will Lawing will be taking. He'll be an offensive analyst.

Lawing is Johnson's former college teammate at North Carolina and good friend, who was Boston College's offensive coordinator the past two years under Bill O'Brien and a former Texans assistant or O'Brien. Boston College had announced his departure for the Bears but no one had reported a role until this point.

Lawing's Boston College offense finished 16th in passing nationally last year after they had scored more points in 2024 than in any season since 2019. Lawing was a tight ends coach in 2023 for the Patriots after he was an offensive analyst for Alabama in 2021-22. His time with the Texans started in 2014 and ran through 2020. He was defensive quality control coach then an offensive analyst before moving to coach tight ends in his final two seasons

The Bears' coaching announcement included the addition of Isaiah Ford to the staff as an offensive quality control coach. Ford is a former NFL receiver who was on the Bears' roster in the 2023 offseason but didn't make the team. Ford made 63 receptions for 681 yards in his career.

Ford, a receiver for Miami in 2018 when Johnson was on staff there as tight ends coach, will apparently be a third offensive quality control coach because Matt Aponte was an offensive quality control coach last year and is still on the staff, as is 2025 quality control assistant Zach Cable.

The Bears haven't specified yet who their passing game coordinator will be, or if they are hiring one at all. There is none on the staff they've rle It had been Press Taylor, but the former Jaguars offensive coordinator was promoted to Bears offensive coordinator without play-calling duties after Declan Doyle left to be Ravens offensive coordinator.

A team doesn't necessarily need a coach as a passing  game coordinator, but it's a direction more and more of them have gone over the years and the Bears have had one since Dave Ragone was named their passing game coordinator in 2020 under Matt Nagy.

Considering Johnson is head coach and also must call plays, it seems like a position that they would consider vital.

However, it could be that between Taylor, Lawing, three quality control coaches and receivers/assistant head coach Antwaan Randle El, the Bears believe they have those responsibilities addressed.

Chicago Bears 2026 Coaching Staff

  • Head coach Ben Johnson
  • Offensive coordinator Press Taylor
  • Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen
  • Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower
  • Wide receivers coach/assistant head coach Antwaan Randl El
  • Quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett
  • Running backs coach Eric Studesville
  • Tight ends coach Jim Dray
  • Offensive line coach Dan Roushar
  • Defensive backs coach/defensive passing game coordinator Al Harris
  • Defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett
  • Linebackers coach Richard Smith
  • Offensive quality control Matt Aponte
  • Assistant special teams coach Anthony Blevins

  • Offensive quality control Zach Cable
  • Assistant offensive line Kyle Devan

  • Offensive quality control Isaiah Ford
  • Assistant defensive backs/safeties coach Matt Giordano

  • Senior defensive assistant Bill Johnson
  • Assistant linebackers coach Kevin Koch

  • Offensive analyst Will Lawing

  • Defensive assistant/nickel cornerbacks Cannon Matthews

  • Defensive quality control Kenny Norton III
  • Offensive assistant: quarterbacks and receivers Robbie Picazo

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.