Building a strong team behind him, new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has brought in some recognizable names to be part of his coaching staff, including one name very familiar as a former Green Bay Packer defender.

Long-time veteran cornerback Al Harris, who spent majority of his playing career with the Packers, was added to the Bears coaching staff this offseason, being named the team's defensive back coach and defensive passing game coordinator under Johnson.

Having served the past five seasons as the defensive backs coach and assistant head coach in 2024 with the Dallas Cowboys, Harris will come to the Bears after previous stops with Dallas, the Kansas City Chiefs, Florida Atlantic University, and the Miami Dolphins.

Now taking another step up in his coaching career, here are five things to know about Al Harris, Chicago's new defensive backs coach.

1. Harris is considered a highly-regarded assistant coach in the NFL

Harris has spent plenty of time in coaching circles at the highest level, which includes six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and five with the Dallas Cowboys. He's gotten the most production out of his time in Dallas, and while the Cowboys just underwent a full change of their coaching staff, allowing Harris to seek new opportunities, it feels like a slam dunk hire for the Bears. Having someone with Harris' resume and pedigree work with all the defensive backs will be fun. But specifically, it'll be interesting to see what he does with Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson as the 1-2 cornerbacks, as well as nickelback Kyler Gordon.

2. Harris had two All-Pro players in Dallas

Both DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs were All-Pro selections during their time playing under Harris as members of the Cowboys secondary. In his All-Pro season in 2021, Diggs led the league in interceptions with 11 and built himself as one of the best ball-hawking corners in the league. Similarly to his teammate, Bland also led the NFL in interceptions in his All-Pro year in 2023, where he not only had a league-high nine interceptions but also set an NFL record with five of those interceptions returned for touchdowns.

3. Harris is a former All-Pro and Pro Bowl cornerback

During his playing days with the Packers, Harris was named to the Pro Bowl twice (2007 and 2008). On top of his Pro Bowl selections, Harris was also named a second-team All-Pro in 2007, where he totaled 37 tackles, nine passes defended and two interceptions on the season. Having played at an elite high level during his playing days has also translated over to his coaching style and what he strives to get out of his players.

4. Harris has learned under two respected coaches Mike Zimmer and Dan Quinn

Both Dan Quinn and Mike Zimmer have been some of the most successful coaches during their coaching careers, especially as a defensive mind. Harris learned from each coach during his time in Dallas, where Zimmer served as defensive coordinator this past season, and Quinn, who was there before Zimmer from 2021 to 2023. Learning from Super Bowl championship coaches can only help further Harris' knowledge about what it takes to build a defense and get the most impact out of the players he is coaching.

5. Harris is part of a memorable and viral NFC Playoff moment against Matt Hasselbeck

"We want the ball and we're going to score!" Those were the words so enthusiastically uttered by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in the 2003 NFC Wild Card matchup against the Packers. Harris would make Hasselbeck eat those words, sealing the victory for the Packers with a 56-yard pick-six interception touchdown that sent the Packers onto the next round of the playoffs that year. One of the most memorable moments in NFL history for both what was said and what happened shortly after, Harris will live on forever with that highlight.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears hire Al Harris: Things to know about new DBs coach