A well respected former Bear is interviewing for the defensive coordinator position

Chris Harris scheduled to interview for Bears defensive coordinator

Tennessee Titans defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach Chris Harris started both his playing career and his coaching career in Chicago. As it turns out, he could be headed for a reunion with the Windy City.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that Chris Harris is scheduled to interview for the Bears defensive coordinator job this week. Matt Eberflus handled the defensive coordinator responsibilities for most of the 2023 season because Alan Williams resigned from his position a couple of weeks into the regular season.

#Titans defensive pass game coordinator/CBs coach Chris Harris will interview for the #Bears defensive coordinator job, per source.

A onetime Bears draft pick who became a highly respected player in Chicago, Harris also interviewed for the #Jaguars DC job this past week.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 21, 2024

Chris Harris was a 2005 sixth-round pick by the Bears and played 25 games for them over his first two seasons. He returned to play 19 games for them later in his career and then became a quality control coach in 2013. He moved on to stints with the Chargers and Commanders before being hired in Tennessee ahead of the 2023 season.

The state of the Bears defense

The Bears defense saw a major improvement in 2023. Going from one of the worst units in the NFL in 2022, to 12th ranked overall defense by the end of 2023. A significant factor in this improvement lies on Matt Eberflus. Eberflus’ defensive play calling was significantly better and more effective than the last coordinator. A January 10th press release from the Bears written by Gabby Hajduk says that Matt Eberflus would like to keep calling plays on defense, but he is open to the possibility of stepping aside.

As for the defense, Eberflus “feels really good” about that group of coaches on that side of the ball. While Eberflus called defensive plays for the Bears the majority of the season and said it’s something he loves to do there is no decision yet on who will be the play-caller in 2024. He told reporters “as we talk to these candidates, we’re going to keep everything open right now.”

And while Eberflus’ time in Indianapolis and his 2023 season in Chicago have proven he is a great defensive play caller, he has more responsibilities to attend to. Eberflus commented on why a new defensive coordinator is necessary to “enhance the staff.” He also commented on how a new DC can help him do his job better:

“It’s got to be a good fit,” Eberflus said. “But you’re looking for an all-star staff on both sides. Dynamic, guys that can take the classroom to the drill work and then put that on the field. That position is going to be tying that together, and of course working with me to do that. It’s important that we find the right person that has great character, [is a] great motivator, that can be in front of the room when I’m not in there when I’m with the offense or preparing for something else, working in other levels of the building.”

The stats on Chris Harris as an NFL coach

Chris Harris has logged 10 seasons worth of NFL coaching experience. This includes experience as a defensive quality control coach, defensive backs coach, and most recently, defensive pass game coordinator.

From 2020 to 2022, Harris was the Washington defensive backs coach. During that time, Washington ranked eighth in the NFL in passing defense (213.1 yards allowed per game) and fourth in total defense (323.4 yards per game).