Top Prospective OC Pairings for Drake Maye, Justin Fields, or Caleb Williams with the Bears
Even though they want to give head coach Matt Eberflus at least one more chance in 2024, the Chicago Bears are still making changes.
On Wednesday, the Bears fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy as well as quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, running backs coach Omar Young and assistant tight ends coach Tim Zetts.
Whether quarterback Justin Fields stays on the roster, much less starts as quarterback, is still up in the air. With the first pick in the April draft, Chicago can choose between Caleb Williams and Drake Maye in the hopes that one of them will emerge as the Windy City’s next great signal-caller.
With Fields leading the charge, Getsy and Janocko effectively served as the offense’s top two managers. Whether they replace Fields, Williams, Maye, or any combination of the three, their successors will have a heavy burden.
In light of this, let’s guess as to which offensive strategists in Chicago would be most effective in handling the quarterback position and the offence as a whole.
The Cream of the Crop
Coach of the Miami Dolphins quarterbacks and coordinator of the passing game is Darrell Bevell.
The seasoned offensive strategist helped Russell Wilson become a household name in Seattle, and he has continued to work his magic with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami. The CV does the talking.
Eric Bieniemy, the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders
The Commanders’ 2023 experience wasn’t all that wonderful, but Bieniemy didn’t have much to work with either. His performance in Kansas City speaks for itself, and the Chiefs offense’s struggles this season without him are hard to overlook.
Being the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in front of Eberflus’s likely lame-duck season makes sense if he doesn’t win a head coaching position in Washington, D.C., or somewhere else.
Kliff Kingsbury is the quarterbacks coach and senior offensive analyst at USC.
This is as apparent as it gets, particularly if the Bears choose to trade Fields and choose Williams at No. 1. Williams was tutored by Kingsbury, an accomplished offensive strategist with a stellar track record, during the previous USC season.
Kellen Moore, the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers
Moore probably wouldn’t have taken this tangential turn on his own. However, Moore might not have a wholly new job in Los Angeles if he doesn’t get the head coaching position that Brandon Staley left open.
Chicago would be in for a huge win with this.
offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, Shane Waldron
The Bears have already contacted Waldron after Pete Carroll left his position as head coach in Seattle, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He studied under Carroll and Sean McVay before becoming the offensive coordinator for Seattle.
For the previous two years, Waldron has been a great asset to Geno Smith.
Former offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans, Pep Hamilton
The Bears have already contacted Waldron after Pete Carroll left his position as head coach in Seattle, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He studied under Carroll and Sean McVay before becoming the offensive coordinator for Seattle.
For the previous two years, Waldron has been a great asset to Geno Smith.
Former offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans, Pep Hamilton
The incredibly skilled Hamilton has a lot of experience with athletic quarterbacks and worked with both Justin Herbert and Andrew Luck early in their careers. He was a member of the Chicago coaching staff in the past and had previously interviewed for this position two years prior.
Frank Reich, a former head coach of the Carolina Panthers
After being dismissed by the Colts and Panthers in consecutive years, Reich is unlikely to be given much consideration in head coaching circles for some time. However, he has experience working with Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz (during his brief prime), and Andrew Luck. Seeing him try to work his magic with Williams or Maye in particular would be entertaining.
Reich and Eberflus lived in Indianapolis together for a number of seasons.
Rereads with a Potential Risk
Marcus Brady, senior offensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles
Brady is a Reich follower who worked with Jalen Hurts in Philly after having some success as an offensive coordinator in Indianapolis. Brady is a possibility. He was also employed at Eberflus in Indianapolis.
Josh Allen made significant development in his four and a half years in Buffalo, even though Dorsey was dismissed by the Bills this season. There, things got monotonous, but it’s debatable if the 42-year-old should try again in a different environment.
Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur
It’s hard not to adore Kyle Shanahan’s similarities to Sean McVay and ponder whether the 36-year-old is prepared to step out from McVay’s shadow. The only thing that stands in his way is how awful his 2021 and 2022 experiences with Zach Wilson and the New York Jets were.
Former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Josh McDaniels
Although McDaniels’ times as head coach haven’t worked out, he has been a successful offensive coordinator in New England. Eberflus took over as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts in 2018 until McDaniels retracted his acceptance.
Former offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, Greg Roman
Roman has been doing this for almost thirty years at the NFL level. He most recently assisted Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. That must be very important, particularly if Fields is retained by the Bears.
Arthur Smith, a former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons
A few years ago, the 41-year-old, who was just sacked, was a highly regarded play-caller in Tennessee. Having said that, no one has ever referred to him as a quarterback guru.
Prospective Rough Diamonds That Obviously Carry Risks
Ryan Grubb is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Washington Huskies.
Have you observed the offensive performance of Washington this year? Suppose Grubb and Michael Penix Jr. are paired by the Bears after they trade down.
Coach of the Houston Texans quarterbacks, Jerrod Johnson
The 35-year-old may be prepared for greater things after working closely with C.J. Stroud during his incredible debut campaign in 2023.
San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak
Kubiak has been in the game for a while, but he hasn’t called plays before. Nevertheless, the guy is getting a lot of attention, and it’s evident that he produced some quality work with both Brock Purdy in San Francisco and Kirk Cousins in Minnesota.
Coach Tee Martin of the Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks
Greg Roman assisted Jackson in his development when he was in Baltimore, but in 2023, Martin seemed to advance significantly under Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken. This would be a high-stakes, high-reward bet, especially if Fields stays with the Bears and adds to his weaponry.
Philadelphia Eagles coordinator of the passing game Kevin Patullo
Two years ago, Patullo was interviewed by the Bears for a similar position. Given all we’ve seen from Jalen Hurts over the past two seasons, he most definitely deserves accolades. However, Patullo doesn’t have a huge sample size of success, and he hasn’t called plays while working with a variety of seasoned and well-reputed offensive brains on the Philly staff.
Zac Robinson, the quarterbacks coach and coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams’ passing offence
It’s important to remember that the 37-year-old, who is another rising McVay disciple, made it through a bit of a purge inside that coaching staff during the previous offseason.
Frank Smith, the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins
As Mike McDaniel’s offensive coordinator at Miami, Smith is having a lot of success, so it’s possible he doesn’t even think about moving. Still, he would get to call plays for the first time, so this wouldn’t be lateral.
It’s important to take into account that fear of the unknown may play a role in this situation for either party.