Analysing the Bears’ hunt for an offensive coordinator, from Kliff Kingsbury to Greg Roman, first aired on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bears will resume their hunt for an offensive coordinator on Friday when they travel to Los Angeles to interview Kliff Kingsbury, the quarterbacks coach and senior offensive analyst at USC.
Kingsbury will be the ninth applicant to interview for the job since Luke Getsy and many offensive staff members were let go by the Bears on January 10.
Head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles are searching far and wide for the ideal offensive coordinator. Even after a thorough search, other prospects can still surface.
However, with nine candidates in the running, here is a summary of each and your decision of who the Bears should hire.
Kiff Kingsbury
As a product of the Air Raid tree, a spread offence with a strong pass game, rather than the Shanahan tree, Kingsbury stands out from the majority of the other prospects on the Bears’ list.
It’s reasonable to see Kingsbury’s discussion with the Bears as less of a formal job interview and more of an informational meeting with possible No. 1 choice Caleb Williams, whom Kingsbury coached at USC this past season. Draft scouting is a continuous process, and this is a great method to learn more about Williams while feigning an interview for a job.
However, Kingsbury may be a nice fit for Williams as a play-caller if the Bears are already leaning towards him. Although Kingsbury led the Arizona Cardinals to a postseason appearance in 2021, his offences were more hit than miss.
Earlier this season, Kingsbury, who has coached Johnny Manziel and Patrick Mahomes in the past, discussed Williams on Bob Stoops’ podcast, “Conversations with Coach.”
His happiness at the game. His sense of competition. Williams has extraordinary talent,” Kingsbury remarked. “It goes without saying that I’ve been around Patrick [Mahomes], and he’s remarkably similar in some aspects—their ability to extend plays, their off-platform throws, and the overall frightening nature of their style of play.”
Although I’ve always been a pro-Kingsbury fan, I understand the Bears’ desire to add someone who is familiar with Williams and can design an offence around his skill set. However, I wouldn’t take that action.
Conclusion: Pass
Brady Marcus
Brady, an additional contender who did not come from the Shanahan family, worked as an Indianapolis coach for three years under Eberflus. In 2018, Brady took on the role of assistant quarterbacks coach. In 2021 and 2022, he was appointed offensive coordinator.
The Colts finished second in the NFL in 2021 thanks to their effective rushing attack. But in 2022, the offence stalled. In the middle of the season, Brady was dismissed by the Colts, who finished 27th in terms of total offence. He worked with the Philadelphia Eagles as a senior offensive analyst during the previous season.
The Bears are not searching for someone like this.