The Chicago Bears look like a team that is preparing for some changes to their coaching staff next month. Not a surprise after a disappointing 2019 that saw them field one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Head coach Matt Nagy knows his job will be on the line next season. The same goes for GM Ryan Pace. They must look to pull out all the stops in order to get this team back on track. If that means making changes to the coaching staff? So be it.
Nobody can say for sure where such changes will come, but speculation seems to center around two spots. The offensive coordinator job, currently held by Mark Helfrich, and the quarterbacks coach held by Dave Ragone. Both have not fulfilled the duties of their positions well enough in any respect. The offense was awful in 2019 and the disappointing performance of the quarterbacks was a big reason why.
If both are indeed out, Nagy will have to fill their spots. That means finding somebody more competent. Recent news out of Jacksonville sets the stage for an opportunity to plug one of them. Ironically with a guy many Bears fans wanted as the head coach in 2018.
Chicago Bears would love John DeFilippo at QB coach
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John DeFilippo is currently the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville. If Marrone is indeed fired, which is the subject of furious denial by the Jaguars at present, then DeFilippo is almost certainly gone as well. After two failed stints as a coordinator, his chances of getting a job of equal status will be remote. So he might be open to taking one as a quarterbacks coach. This is good because it’s the job he really made his name at over the previous decade.
He got started back in 2007 with the Oakland Raiders. The same year they made the atrocious decision to draft Jamarcus Russell #1 overall. A year later in 2008, DeFilippo somehow squeezed five wins and a 77.1 passer rating out of the listless quarterback. A year after he left? That dropped 50.0. So it was apparent even then that the coach had a certain knack with quarterbacks.
In 2009, DeFilippo spent a season with the New York Jets where he once again inherited a top 5 pick in Mark Sanchez. Things started out rough as the rookie threw 10 touchdowns to 16 interceptions through his first 10 games. However, improvement began to show by the end of November. Sanchez ended up throwing six touchdowns and six interceptions over the final eight games including the playoffs. Not elite numbers but a definite sign of progress.
DeFilippo returned to Oakland in 2012 after two years in college.
He got 4,000 yards out of Carson Palmer that season. The first time the veteran had done so in five years. A year later he somehow squeezed a 73.9 passer rating out of the trio of Terrell Pryor, Matt McGloin, and Matt Flynn. Then in 2014, he had the honor of overseeing the arrival of Derek Carr. All things considered, the rookie had a decent year with over 3,200 yards and 21 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. This with Andre Holmes and James Jones as his two primary targets.
His best work though came in 2016 when the Philadelphia Eagles brought him aboard to oversee the development of Carson Wentz. The rookie had his speed bumps but finished with a 79.3 passer rating that year. A season later, it all came together. Wentz threw 33 touchdowns to just seven interceptions in the first 13 games of 2017 and was an MVP front runner. Unfortunately, a torn ACL ended his year.
DeFilippo was forced to help the team adjust to veteran backup Nick Foles who proceeded to lead them to a Super Bowl championship. This led to becoming offensive coordinator in Minnesota last year where Kirk Cousins set career highs in yards (4,298), touchdowns (30), and completion rate (70.1%). It’s apparent from everywhere he’s been that he understands how to develop the position. On top of that, his connection to Nagy’s colleague Doug Pederson in Philadelphia only strengthens his case for coming to the Chicago Bears.
This is the name to watch if Ragone is indeed out.
