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Bears hiring Antwaan Randle El and J.T. Barrett from Lions to join coaching staff

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CHICAGO (CBS) -- New Bears head coach Ben Johnson is bringing over at least two Lions assistants with him to help run the offense.

The Bears are finalizing a deal to hire Lions wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, a Thornton High School graduate who played nine seasons in the NFL for the Steelers and Redskins before becoming a coach, to be the Bears' new assistant head coach and wide receivers coach on Johnson's staff, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Also expected to join the Bears from the Lions is their assistant quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett, who will become the Bears quarterback coach, according to the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs.

The Bears also are expected to hire Cowboys assistant head coach and defensive backs coach to  Al Harris, to be their defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach, according to Schefter. Harris played for 14 years in the NFL, seven of them with the division rival Packers, where he made two Pro Bowls.

Randle El, 45, was a star quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers in college, becoming the first player in NCAA history to score 40 rushing touchdowns (45) and throw for 40 touchdowns (42). While playing for the Steelers, he was converted to a wide receiver and return specialist, and threw a touchdown pass to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL.

He's been an NFL coach since 2019, starting with the Buccaneers before joining the Lions in 2021 as their wide receivers coach, where he's worked with star receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

Harris began his career as an NFL coach in 2012, starting with the Dolphins. He also spent six seasons with the Chiefs as a secondary coach before a year in college as defensive assistant coach at Florida Atlantic. He was hired as a secondary coach by the Cowboys in 2020.

Barrett, 30, played college ball at Ohio State before going undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft. While he spent time on the practice squad of several teams in the NFL, he never made it onto an NFL roster before becoming a coach for the Lions in 2022 as an offensive assistant, before he was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2023.

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