5 things to know about new Bears assistant HC, WRs coach Antwaan Randle El

The Chicago Bears are hiring Antwaan Randle El as their assistant head coach and wide receivers coach as new head coach Ben Johnson assembles his coaching staff.

Randle El, who went from NFL player to coach, has spent the past four years as the Detroit Lions wide receivers coach. In that span, Randle El has worked with the likes of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick and Kalif Raymond. Now, Randle El will get to work with a pair of studs in DJ Moore and Rome Odunze.

Here are five things to know about Randle El, the Bears' new assistant head coach and receivers coach.

1. Randle El grew up in the Chicagoland area

We know how much general manager Ryan Poles loves a homegrown talent, and the Bears are getting exactly that in Randle El, who was born in Riverdale, Illinois. He attended Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois, and he played football, basketball and baseball. Randle El also grew up a Bears fan, which serves as a great homecoming.

2. Randle El worked with Johnson in Detroit

There are a couple of familiar faces following Johnson to the Bears, and Randel El is a big get. While Johnson isn't likely to deplete Dan Campbell's offensive coaching staff, that doesn't mean he isn't giving former coworkers an opportunity to step into bigger roles. As is the case with Randle El, who will not only serve as the wide receivers coach (like he did in Detroit) but he'll also serve as assistant head coach and get valuable experience which could help him climb the ladder in the coaching ranks.

3. Randle El will bring accountability to the Bears

One of the things that was severely lacking with the former coaching staff was accountability, which is a big reason why the locker room culture declined amid the team's 5-12 record, including their 10-game losing streak. Johnson talked about making examples of repeat offenders, and Randle El will also do his part to bring accountability back to this locker room. Case in point. When the Bears played the Lions on Thanksgiving, Randle El was spotted laying into receiver Jameson Williams after earning a taunting penalty after reacting to Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Those are the kind of coaches this locker room needs.

4. Randle El is a Super Bowl winning wide receiver

Randel El comes to the Bears as an experienced coach who also happened to play the game, which will go a long way in the locker room. Randle El was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft, where he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. Randle El won a Super Bowl with the Steelers and was also named First-Team All-Pro in 2005. In nine NFL seasons (with the Steelers and Washington Redskins), he totaled 370 catches for 4,467 yards and 15 touchdowns.

5. Randle El was drafted by the Chicago Cubs before sticking with football

While Randle El was a first-team All Pro and Super Bowl champion with the Steelers, he had a chance to take a different sports route. During his time at Thornton Township High School, Randle El played football, basketball and baseball. In fact, he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs coming out of high school in 1997. Instead, he opted to stick with football and went on to attend Indiana University, where he was first-team All-American (2001), Big Ten Most Valuable Player (2001) and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (2001), among other honors.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears hire Antwaan Randle El: Things to know about new WRs coach