- Jake Hunter
- Jan 26, 2022
- 3 min read
The Chicago Bears are one of a number of NFL teams seeking a brand new head coach this offseason following the firing of con-man Matt Nagy as well as an expert in asset-wasting in former GM Ryan Pace. With recent news that the previously-vacant GM position has been filled by Ryan Poles, the attention of Bears fans and media members alike turns solely towards the head coach vacancy. Rumors have been floating around for several days regarding the finalists for the position, with three names consistently mentioned as the core candidates for the job. In this article, I'm ranking those three potential coaches based on how much optimism I would have if they were hired.
3. Matt Eberflus
Eberflus has spent the last several seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts, and his name has come up for head-coaching in years prior to this one. His run in Indianapolis has been solid, as he's regularly churned out upper-half defenses despite very limited spending by the Colts franchise on that side of the ball. Prior to his time in Indianapolis, he served as the linebackers coach in both Dallas and Cleveland.
Eberflus' resume is solid, don't get me wrong, but I have genuine concern regarding his ability to assemble a staff that will maximize Justin Fields' abilities. He's never had any head-coaching experience, and his roots are all on the defensive side of the football. Eberflus, to me, is a meh candidate that comes with considerable momentum as a "fresh face", but I just have a feeling that his downside as a new head coach is larger than the other names on this list.
2. Jim Caldwell
A former Hawkeye player and graduate assistant, Caldwell has been around the NFL for a long time. His stint as the head coach of the Lions yielded a 36-28 record before the franchise grew impatient with the team's lack of ascension and fired Caldwell in favor of New England DC Matt Patricia. Yikes.
Caldwell additionally spent time on Tony Dungy's staffs in both Tampa Bay and Indianapolis, a couple seasons in Baltimore, and recently filled in as assistant head coach for the Dolphins a couple seasons ago. Caldwell has allegedly interviewed very well, addressing Fields' fit in the offense with a brand new offensive scheme that reportedly impressed the Bears' front office. Honestly, if he's able to mold an effective offense for Fields, I'd have no hesitation putting Caldwell as my #1 choice. For the time being (until more details come out), I have him as a close second.
1. Dan Quinn
I'll be completely honest: When I heard that Quinn was a finalist, I rolled my eyes a little bit. He's by no means a bad coach, but he's an exceedingly unexciting pick in many ways. He's spent time as a head coach in Atlanta (leading them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2017) as well as time as a defensive coordinator in Dallas and Seattle. In many ways, Quinn is the Quinn-tissential (sorry) status quo hiring.
After a closer look, though, I began to see several silver linings. During his years as a head coach, Quinn has assembled coaching staffs chock full of future head-coaching talent. While his own background is on the defensive side of the ball, he's shown a consistent ability to find A+ offensive minds to run things on the other side of the ball. Couple that with his reported willingness to address his Achilles heel as a head coach (making ultra-conservative decisions that routinely backfire), and I see Quinn as a low-risk, high-upside option for the franchise going forward. It all depends on the offensive staff he would assemble, but if he nailed that I would be very happy with Dan Quinn as the next head coach of the Chicago Bears.