What we know about the front office, coaching staff the Bears are building

The Bears have their new coach and GM. Their new Matt and Ryan.

The team made it official Thursday night hiring head coach Matt Eberflus to replace Matt Nagy. The move came only days after new general manager Ryan Poles replaced Ryan Pace.

Eberflus showed up to work on Friday ready to assemble a new staff. It takes a village to run an NFL team. The GM and the head coach are the most important positions, but they will need help along the way.

📍 Halas Hall pic.twitter.com/8B8UvrX4Kg

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 28, 2022

That includes a dozen assistant coaches, none more important than the offensive and defensive coordinators. The offensive coordinator position will be vital for Eberflus, whose background is entirely on the defensive side of the ball. The Bears need an offensive coordinator who can help quarterback Justin Fields flourish in the coming years.

This process will take time, and the Bears will likely interview several candidates for each position. Shaw Local put together a list of about a dozen candidates for each coordinator position.

13 candidates for Bears offensive coordinator

11 candidates for Bears defensive coordinator

Below is what is known so far about the Bears’ interests at each position, and who might be interviewing for the job.

Offense

Eberflus will interview Packers quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Luke Getsy, according to Sports Illustrated. The 37-year-old coach has been with the Packers since 2019, working closely with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love.

Getsy worked his way up from offensive quality control coach (2014-15) to wide receivers coach (2016-17) before leaving in 2018 to become the offensive coordinator at Mississippi State. Getsy’s absence lasted only one year. When Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen left for Florida, Getsy found his way back to Green Bay as QB coach.

Getsy interviewed for the Broncos head coach position earlier this month.

Texans passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton is interviewing for the Bears’ offensive coordinator position, according to multiple reports.

Hamilton was Justin Herbert’s QB coach with the Chargers in 2020 and then helped Houston rookie Davis Mills along last season. Hamilton served as Bears quarterback coach from 2007-09 under head coach Lovie Smith. Since then, he has bounced around a lot, coaching under Jim Harbaugh at Stanford and serving as Chuck Pagano’s offensive coordinator in Indianapolis from 2013-15.

Eagles passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo is a name to watch, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Patullo worked with Eberflus in Indianapolis for three seasons as the wide receivers coach (2018-19) and pass game specialist (2020), before moving to Philadelphia with Nick Sirianni. He was previously a quarterback coach with the Jets (2015-16), among other stops.

Defense

Colts linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi is likely to join the new Bears’ staff under Eberflus, according to a report from ESPN. He is currently the linebackers coach in Indianapolis and has been since 2018. He has worked closely with All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard. Borgonzi has coached in the NFL since 2011.

Former Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli worked with Eberflus for several years in Dallas. Marinelli was the Bears’ defensive coordinator from 2010-12, and later took the same position with the Cowboys from 2014-19. Eberflus was the Cowboys linebackers coach from 2011-17. Marinelli is currently the Raiders’ defensive line coach.

In a radio interview at 670 The Score, Marinelli didn’t rule out a return to the Bears, he simply reiterated that he’s currently employed by the Raiders.

Colts cornerbacks coach James Rowe is on board to join Eberflus’ staff, according to the NFL Network. Rowe has been in Indianapolis for only one season. In 2020, he coached cornerbacks at Appalachian State. Prior to that, he was an assistant defensive backs coach for the Washington Football Team (2017-19). He was a college coach from 2011-16 at Jacksonville, Florida and Valdosta State.

Special teams

Bears special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, who has held the role since 2018, is reportedly leaving to take the same position with the Carolina Panthers.

Eberflus worked with longtime special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia for five years in Dallas (2013-17). Bisaccia was the special teams coordinator in Dallas, while Eberflus was the linebackers coach. Bisaccia took the same position with the Raiders in 2018. The Raiders elevated him to interim head coach last season when they fired Jon Gruden. Bisaccia has been an NFL special teams coordinator since 2002, but could be looking for a new job soon.

Raiders players have vouched for Bisaccia to become the head coach after leading the team to the playoffs, but the Raiders reportedly have a strong interest in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for the job.

Front office

Poles has requested permission to speak with Eagles director of player personnel Ian Cunningham for a front office position, according to the NFL Network.

Cunningham has 14 years of NFL front office experience, the last five with the Eagles. In his current role, which he has held for one season, he oversees the college scouting department and also helps on the pro scouting side. Prior to the Eagles, Cunningham spent nine years in the Ravens’ scouting department. He played college football at Virginia as an offensive lineman and briefly signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chiefs in 2008.

Source: The Daily Chronicle