Moving on: Doyle, Bieniemy among many departing faces for the Bears

Here are five of the most interesting things coaches said about current and former Bears players and coaches Tuesday in Phoenix at the NFL’s annual meetings.

Doyle moving on

The Baltimore Ravens made a relatively surprising move when they hired former Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to be their play caller.

Doyle had just spent one season with the Bears as their offensive coordinator at the age of 29. Although Johnson was the team’s play caller, Doyle did countless tasks to make Johnson’s life easier as he transitioned to being a head coach. Doyle started planning ahead for opponents, helped with halftime adjustments and led offensive meetings among other things.

But the offense made great strides with Doyle’s help. Quarterback Caleb Williams took big strides in his first season with Johnson while the Bears’ running attack became one of the best in the league.

New Ravens head coach Jesse Minter was impressed with what Doyle did in Chicago even without being the team’s play caller. It’s why he decided to bring in the young offensive mind as his first offensive coordinator as a head coach.

“Man, everything,” Minter said of what impressed him about Doyle. “I think he’s just wise beyond his years. He’s really smart, he’s innovative. He’s again, always evolving, always trying to find a better way to do things.”

Caleb Williams’ success

Many coaches were impressed with Williams when asked about him. Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay on Monday called Williams a “stud,” referencing his play in the NFC divisional matchup. McVay also called Williams’ throw to Cole Kmet on fourth down toward the end of regulation “one of the most incredible plays I’ve ever seen.”

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor watched firsthand Williams lead one of his seven comebacks last season. He believes Williams will only continue to grow with more time with Johnson.

“I think Caleb is a dynamic talent,” Taylor said. “He’s still young in the league, obviously has tasted great success. I’m sure they look forward to building off of that.”

DJ Moore’s reunion with Joe Brady

Poles traded Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Bills in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick. The move came as the Bears faced a tough cap situation and felt comfortable offloading Moore’s contract given their young talent in the wide receiver room. Buffalo, meanwhile, needed a top wide receiver for quarterback Josh Allen.

He will be reunited with Bills head coach Joe Brady, who served as Moore’s offensive coordinator for two seasons with the Carolina Panthers. Moore had two of his four-highest season receiving yardages with Brady as his play caller.

“He can do so many different things,” Brady said. “Knock on wood, he plays, he practices, he’s out there every day, he’s playing every game and he is playing and he’s not coming off the field. That’s unique at the wide receiver position. And it’s been a while since I’ve been coaching him and I’ve been wanting to coach him for the last few years. So having that opportunity again excites me.”

Bradbury’s ‘professionalism’

The Bears worked quickly and brought in Garrett Bradbury to fill the void left by center Drew Dalman’s sudden retirement. General manager Ryan Poles traded a 2027 fifth-round pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for Bradbury in the hope of replacing Dalman’s play and his leadership.

The Bears seemed to do that according to New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Bradbury only spent a season with Vrabel last year after playing most of his career with the Minnesota Vikings. But Vrabel credited Bradbury with how he handled himself each day.

“Just touching on his professionalism, every day he came to work,” Vrabel said. “He was prepared. Really led the offensive line. Great energy, connection with the quarterback, his durability, consistency.”

Bieniemy’s return to the Chiefs

It didn’t take long to see former Bears running backs coach Eric Bieniemy’s return to the Kansas City Chiefs would be inevitable.

The Chiefs brought Bieniemy back as their offensive coordinator after he was in Chicago for one season. Bieniemy previously served as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2022. He took over after the Chiefs didn’t bring back former Bears head coach Matt Nagy.

Bieniemy helped turn the Bears running attack into one of the league’s best last season. Running back D’Andre Swift had a career year while Kyle Monangai was one of the best rookie runners as a seventh-round pick.

“We’re fired up to have him back,” said Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. “He brings great energy. He knows obviously the offense, he’s very well-respected by the players. That part hasn’t changed for the guys that are still there. It’s a seamless transition, I think, from Matt Nagy leaving to him coming in.”