The Chicago Bears are entering the bye week with a 2-2 record, but they are nowhere near where they want to be, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit is still a work in progress, as the team is dealing with injuries to key contributors like Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Johnson, and Grady Jarrett. Despite all of this, however, the impact of new defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator Al Harris is being felt in a big way.
The Bears poached Harris in the offseason after the former star cornerback spent the past four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He was credited with turning Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland into two of the NFL’s premier ballhawks under former Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy. The team’s decision not to retain him after McCarthy’s departure was criticized heavily by many in the fanbase.
Al Harris Looks Like 1 of the Best Offseason Additions for the Bears
However, one team’s dumb decision is another’s treasure. The Bears have been huge beneficiaries in this, as Harris has been doing wonders with the Bears’ short-handed secondary.
BearsWire’s Brendan Sugrue highlighted on X that in the last two weeks, opposing quarterbacks “have completed 48-of-66 passes for 392 yards, 3 TDs, and 6 INTs for a passer rating of 64.71” against the Bears. Doing so without Johnson or Gordon makes those numbers look even more impressive.
It’s also important not to get ahead of ourselves since there is plenty of work to be done in Chicago to get the defense to a respectable level. This is still a bottom-ten unit both in terms of points (29.3) and yards allowed (379.5) through four weeks. They have given up ten passing touchdowns already and allow the fourth-highest net yards gained per pass attempt in the league, with 7.2.
At the same time, it’s undeniable that the defensive unit has punched above its weight amid the injuries. They have forced nine turnovers already, and rank second in the NFL with seven interceptions.
And it’s impossible not to see Harris’ impact there. If the former Pro Bowler can get his players to do one thing, it’s get interceptions. Diggs and Bland have both led the NFL in interceptions on two separate occasions and made All-Pro first teams under Harris. The Cowboys’ secondary is currently in shambles upon Harris’s departure, and both cornerbacks are looking like shells of themselves.
Harris will also get reinforcements upon Gordon and Johnson’s return later this season. At that point, Chicago’s defensive backfield should be a force to be reckoned with.
