Several options for Bears next head coach |
With the losses continuing to mount and the way this team is losing starting to become comical, you have to think Matt Eberflus has a seat so hot that it's melting. Barring a miracle run to close out the season to put themselves into playoff positioning, you have to think Eberflus is as good as gone, which will put the Bears in the market for a new head coach next season.
While that may not be a good thing for Caleb Williams as he will be forced to learn his second system in two years, it will allow the Bears to do right this time as their past two hires of Matt Nagy and Eberflus haven't worked out the way they had hoped they would. Chicago is a very attractive market and will be attractive to any coach, but given how the McCaskey Family operates this organization, does that make things difficult during the hiring process? In an era when more teams are looking to go offensive and go with young offensive minds, Ben Johnson and Bobby Slowik are two names to watch when it comes to possible head coaches. Slowik is the current OC for the Houston Texans and has done a great job calling plays. Johnson is the top choice by not only the Bears but by a lot of teams this offseason, given what we have seen from him in Detroit. As good of a fit as he is, he will likely go elsewhere and enter a situation where he could draft his own QB and start over. Fellow offensive play callers Todd Monken (Baltimore), Drew Petzing (Arizona), Liam Coen (Tampa), Zac Robinson (Atlanta), Joe Brady (Buffalo), and Kilint Kubiak (New Orleans) are all options to consider. However, when you look at how things ended with Nagy and consider that both Nagy and Eberflus were first-year head coaches, would the Bears really go with another first-year head coach? That is certainly a debatable topic, but if I were to make a decision on Head Coach, Caleb Williams would be someone I would consider before making the decision. I would also look at who can build a roster up quickly. If that is the case, Kevin Stefanski could be an option, as he is one of the offensive-minded veteran coaches who could be looking for work this offseason. After leading the Vikings offense for several years, Stefanski got the opportunity to lead the Browns and has done a decent job since taking over. He led the Browns to the playoffs in his second season while also helping Baker Mayfield have one of the best seasons in his career. Things have gone downhill since then, but when you have a player like Deshaun Watson playing the way he is, mixed with an owner trading off all your pieces, it's hard to win games. That alone has a lot of people thinking that he could be looking for work this summer, but he doesn't seem like a fit for Chicago. However, there are two guys who seem like logical fits. These two names should be at the top of the Bears' list for Head Coach candidates. That starts with Brian Flores, who reiterates that he wants another shot at being an HC in the NFL. Unlike all the other names listed above, Flores is a defensive-minded guy, but if there were ever a defensive-minded guy to hire, Flores would be the one. The former Miami Dolphins Head coach and current Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator interviewed for the Bears job after Nagy was fired, but that job was ultimately given to Eberflus. Since then, Flores spent one season as the Pittsburgh Steelers LB coach before making the move to Minnesota, where he has been the Vikings DC for the past two seasons. You can see the impact Flores has made on that team. The Vikings went from one of the worst defenses in the league to a top-10 defense in two seasons, and his unique scheme and aggressive approach keep offenses on their toes. Stealing him from your division rival would be a huge get for the Bears, as Flores has the ability to put a great staff together. As good a hire as Flores would be, the one name that will come up a lot seems like a match made in heaven for Williams: Washington Commanders and former Arizona Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury is no stranger to the Bears ownership group, as he was one of the first candidates they interviewed for the vacant OC job this offseason. From all accounts, the interview went great, but Eberflus still felt Waldron was a better option. Chicago not only has an opportunity for a mulligan on that decision, but they also have an opportunity to bring him in as their next head coach. Although his time in Arizona as their head coach came with mixed reviews, Kingsbury still showed some promise. The Cardinals made the postseason once in his four years and just missed it a second time. He worked wonders with Kyler Murray at the time, but he had a track record of his teams getting off to hot starts before fading late in the season. That sounds like this year's current Bears team, as they got off to a great start but have crashed and burned since. Kingsbury may not be at the top of most people's lists, but there is a reason why he makes the most sense for this team. Williams is the answer, as he was Williams's OC during his final season with USC. Although his numbers under Kingsbury weren't as great as his Heisman season, many other factors went into that, as Williams posted an incredible season with Kingsbury calling the plays. Bringing him into the Bears organization reunites him with Williams and brings back an offensive system he knows and is comfortable running. That could work wonders for the Bears and the future of Williams as the team's QB.
