The Chicago Bears took their time to make a decision, interviewing nine different candidates. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus wanted to make sure they did enough research and got various opinions before picking their new offensive coordinator. They understood the importance. In the end, they went with their first instincts. Shane Waldron was the first candidate they met with. It was a surprise. Nobody expected him to be available, given his ongoing success in Seattle. However, that changed when Pete Carroll stepped aside as head coach.
Waldron represented everything they wanted. He has proven playcalling experience, helped elevate his quarterbacks, and runs a variation of the Shanahan/McVay wide-zone offense the Bears ran for the past two years under Luke Getsy. Everything makes sense. The next step for them is building out the rest of his offensive staff. Holes remain at three major position jobs. Here are some names to watch.
Greg Olson
This would be the most obvious choice. Olson worked with Waldron in Seattle last season and had multiple stints in Los Angeles working with Sean McVay. He understands this wide-zone offensive system well and the demands on the quarterback. Olson also has a great track record coaching the position. Marc Bulger, Josh Freeman, Blake Bortles, Jared Goff, and Derek Carr all played their best football under his guidance. Having his experience in the locker room would be welcome.
Liam Coen
The Bears also met with the Kentucky offensive coordinator for the OC job. It turns out he and Waldron have a deep history. They first worked together at Massachusetts in 2014 and 2015. Soon, they reunited with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 and spent another three years together. Coen has previously held the role of both passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Bears could offer him both job titles in Chicago if he’s open to an NFL return with a chance to work with a potential #1 overall pick.
Sanjay Lal
One of the more well-traveled and experienced wide receivers coaches in the league. Lal has held the job in various locations dating all the way back to 1996. He’s done some impressive work along the way. He squeezed a 900-yard season out of Darrius Heyward-Bey in Oakland. Under his watch, Sammy Watkins had his best season as a pro in Buffalo. Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup both cracked 1,000 yards in 2019 for Dallas. The guy gets results, even when he ends up on bad teams.
Ike Hilliard
A former wide receiver who had a long NFL career with the Giants and Buccaneers. He soon found he had a knack for coaching the position, too. He was a fixture for the Washington Commanders from 2014 through 2019, working briefly with Waldron in 2016. Then he went to Pittsburgh, where he got two respectable seasons out of Chase Claypool. Since then, he has worked down at Auburn in 2022 and is currently a free agent.
Thomas Brown
Another coach the Bears interviewed for the offensive coordinator job and another one with ties to Shane Waldron. The two worked together in 2020 with the Rams. Brown then won the Super Bowl with them a year later as their running backs coach. He used that as momentum to become the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator this past season, but things spiraled out of control. He’s a consistently proven running backs coach with experience dating back to 2012.
Chad Morton
A former running back who played with various teams in the 2000s, Morton broke into coaching with the Green Bay Packers in 2009. He helped them win a Super Bowl a year later. Seattle plucked him for their staff in 2014 and he rose to become their running backs coach in 2017. He’s held that job ever since, getting some quality seasons from guys like Chris Carson and Kenneth Walker. Waldron is obviously familiar with him.
