Sometimes, recommendations come from the most unexpected places. It isn’t a secret by now that the Chicago Bears are on the cusp of searching for a new head coach. Nothing short of a miracle will save Matt Eberflus now after squandering a 4-2 start to reach 4-7. Everybody has ideas on who the next guy will be. Ben Johnson is the hottest name. Joe Brady, Mike Vrabel, Thomas Brown, and Todd Monken are also getting lots of action on the betting sites. However, Tyreek Hill has his own ideas about that.
Yes, you read that correctly. The Miami Dolphins’ All-Pro wide receiver gave his unprompted recommendations for who the Bears should hire as head coach. It started when his former Kansas City Chiefs teammate Gehrig Dieter offered the idea of Greg Lewis, Baltimore’s current wide receivers coach. Hill then chimed in with two more: Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith and wide receivers coach Wes Welker.
Smith and Welker haven’t been mentioned much at all in national circles despite the ongoing success of Miami’s offense. Most credit that to the brilliance of head coach Mike McDaniel. Hill doesn’t seem to think so. Smith arrived in the NFL in 2010 with New Orleans. He spent three seasons in Chicago (2015-2017) as their tight ends coach before bouncing between the Raiders and Chargers. He finally landed in Miami in 2022 and has helped oversee an offense that has ranked in the top 10 in two of the past three seasons.
Welker is a former All-Pro wide receiver best known for his electric work with the New England Patriots. He revolutionized the slot receiver position. His first big opportunity as a coach came running the receiver room in San Francisco, where he oversaw the development of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. He has since done the same for Jaylen Waddle. Tyreek Hill clearly loves him as well, though it might be too early for him to get looks for a head coach.
It will be interesting to see if the Bears take his advice.
