Four games remain in the 2021 season. The playoffs are a dead dream for the Chicago Bears. This team is trending in the wrong direction. As a result, George McCaskey is expected to make changes to the power structure this coming offseason. The most obvious move is firing head coach Matt Nagy, who has failed to duplicate his success from 2018. What most people want to know is which direction the Bears owner goes in finding a replacement.
Assumptions have already been made on that subject. Most expect him to focus on candidates with strong offensive backgrounds. Somebody that can maximize Justin Fields as a quarterback. A logical approach. However, Albert Breer of the MMQB suggests it might not be that simple for McCaskey. The insider suggested that the possibility is real that the Bears owner will give serious consideration to all candidates regardless of background. Not only that, but he might also place heavy emphasis on hiring somebody of a minority.
“Is it possible they go another route? Yes. It is. One, they’d just be moving off a quarterback-centric hire, in Nagy, and two of their last three hires (Marc Trestman being the other) were a result of the team taking that path. And two, owner George McCaskey is very involved in the league’s diversity efforts over the last few years, and that has been part of an effort not just to get teams to look at diverse candidates but also to convince them to run truly open processes that aren’t just focused on predetermined types of candidates.”
This is interesting for several reasons.
One of the biggest is because it actually connects to another recent rumor that popped up about the Bears coaching search. One via ESPN that revealed Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier as a possible candidate to replace Nagy. Frazier was a member of the 1985 team and is African-American. He also checks the box of having previous head coaching experience. Something else SM has reported is a factor.
There are several reasons why McCaskey might want to do this. For one, the last successful head coach in Chicago was Lovie Smith, a proud black man from Texas. Then there is the stigma that seems to follow the organization that Bears ownership is racist. Last but not least? The minority coaching pool is still largely untapped by the wider NFL. So there is a stronger likelihood the team may hit on a candidate.
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George McCaskey has plenty of names worth exploring
Frazier is not the only one. The defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers employ two prominent options in this regard. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has previous head coaching experience with the New York Jets and is somebody GM Ryan Pace was interested in hiring back in 2015. Offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich has done a great job helping Tom Brady extend his Hall of Fame career while also getting over 5,000 passing yards from Jameis Winston in 2019. Here are a few other options.
Eric Bieniemy (Chiefs OC)
The man who replaced Nagy in Kansas City. Bieniemy oversaw the ascent of Patrick Mahomes as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, reaching the past two Super Bowls and winning a Lombardi trophy in 2019. Many feel the coordinator should’ve been hired years ago.
Eric Studesville (Dolphins Co-OC)
Miami runs a unique system in which they have not one but two offensive coordinators. Studesville has a long track record of success in the NFL as a running backs coach. He was with the Bears from 1997 to 2000, so George McCaskey knows him. He helped Denver win the Super Bowl in 2015, and is now assisting the development of Tua Tagovailoa in Miami.
Joe Woods (Browns DC)
An NFL veteran since 2004, Woods made a name for himself as a defensive backs coach in Minnesota before also joining that memorable Broncos championship team in 2015. He became their defensive coordinator two years later, finishing 3rd overall. Now he runs a Cleveland defense that ranks 4th in the NFL. The man gets results.
Patrick Graham (Giants DC)
The buzz around Graham has built since the beginning of last season. Many around the league insist he is destined to run his own team. Smart, detailed, and a strong motivator. He gets his players to play hard and disciplined. What he has gotten from a frankly average talent roster in New York is commendable.
Vance Joseph (Cardinals DC)
His first stint as a head coach in Denver ended badly. An 11-21 record. Though in fairness Joseph was bedeviled by quarterback problems. His stock has been on the rise again lately thanks to the remarkable job he’s done turning a normally bad Arizona defense into one of the best in the NFL. He is a huge reason the Cardinals are competing for the #1 seed.
Raheem Morris (Rams DC)
The man showed promise as a head coach back in 2010 when he helped Tampa Bay to a 10-6 record and had Josh Freeman playing like a borderline Pro Bowl. Things fell apart though. Morris, to his credit, was undaunted. He helped Atlanta reach the Super Bowl in 2016 and is now coordinating on a Rams team poised for a deep playoff run.
DeMeco Ryans (49ers DC)
A former two-time Pro Bowl linebacker, Ryans had a lot of success as a player in the NFL. His transition to coaching seems to have gone well. He oversaw the development of All-Pro Fred Warner and has now helped San Francisco’s defense once again rank in the top 10. Having worked under the likes of Gary Kubiak, Andy Reid, and Kyle Shanahan? Ryans knows what it takes to be a quality head coach.
