There will be no shortage of names the Chicago Bears might consider as their next GM. Presuming Ryan Pace is gone as the rumors continue to hint, of course. One persistent bit of information SM has continued to hear in recent weeks is George McCaskey will value experience in his next candidates. Somebody who either held the job before or currently holds it now and has had success. If this holds true by January, then one name certain to be in the mix is John Dorsey.
The Bears organization should be familiar with him already. After a number of years as a special teams standout for the Green Bay Packers, he became a scout for their organization in 1991. Nine years later he was their director of college scouting, a position he’d hold for the next decade, playing an integral role in their eventual Super Bowl championship in 2010. That success finally got him noticed around the league, ending with his hire as GM of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.
Dorsey would hold that title through 2019 with two different organizations. His track record in that span might be one of the most impressive in the NFL.
Kansas City
- Travis Kelce
- Dee Ford
- Marcus Peters
- Chris Jones
- Tyreek Hill
- Patrick Mahomes
- Kareem Hunt
Cleveland
- Baker Mayfield
- Denzel Ward
- Nick Chubb
- Jarvis Landry
- Wyatt Teller
- Jack Conklin
John Dorsey built the foundation of two contenders
The Chiefs owe their 2019 Super Bowl championship to his work. The Browns probably don’t make the playoffs last year without the excellent two offseasons he put together in 2018 and 2019. One thing has always been clear about Dorsey. The man has a tremendous eye for talent. So how is it that he didn’t last on not one but two teams? This is where his legacy becomes somewhat complicated.
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Based on reports out of Kansas City, there was frustration from ownership with his communication skills. Especially when it came to keeping them informed. He would often do things without telling people. That grated on some in the organization. So he was dismissed. As for Cleveland? That was more a decision by John Dorsey himself. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam reportedly wanted to restructure the front office. Something that would’ve decreased his power within the organization.
So Dorsey stepped down.
Since then he has served as a sort of gun-for-hire. He was a draft consultant in 2020 with the Philadelphia Eagles and is now a senior personnel executive with the Detroit Lions. The Bears seem like his sort of organization. One with ownership that doesn’t meddle, allowing the GM to do his job. He finds quality players consistently and understands how to build a foundation around a franchise quarterback.
He is a bit old school at 61-years old but results are results. Dorsey can find the players. It may just come down to getting a head coach who can maximize them.
