Five Chicago Bears Head Coach Candidates To Watch
Is there a Chicago Bears head coach candidates list out there? Yes. The rumors are strong that George McCaskey is researching potential options in the event the team will fire Matt Nagy at some point over the next two months. A possibility that is growing in likelihood with each passing week. Chicago is 3-6 and losers of four in a row. A loss on Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens would make it five. The second time Nagy has allowed that in as many years.
Barring a big comeback down the stretch, the belief is he is out by no later than early January. If and when that happens, expect the Bears to move quickly in pursuit of his replacement. So who might that end up being? There is no shortage of possibilities. Offensive guys. Defensive guys. Former head coaches. Current head coaches.
McCaskey will have options. So which ones will he zero in on? Here is a shortlist of five names to watch carefully.
Chicago Bears head coach candidates will be plentiful next year
Kellen Moore (Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator)
Since Sean McVay took the NFL by storm back in 2017, every team has continued looking for “the next McVay.” That is to say the next extremely young, hotshot offensive mind that seems wise beyond his years. Looking at the landscape of the potential 2022 candidates, there is little debate that Moore is the guy who will fit that mold. He checks all the boxes being 32-years old and running the #1 offense in the NFL for the Cowboys.
What is even more impressive is how rapid his rise has been. Moore only got into coaching in 2018 after retiring as a backup quarterback. He was instantly made Dallas’ quarterbacks coach and a year later was put in charge of their offense. Since then the Cowboys have ranked 1st, 14th, and 1st. That second ranking came despite losing Dak Prescott after five games to a season-ending ankle injury.
Moore is the son of a highly-successful high school head coach, played for Chris Petersen in college, and has worked under former Super Bowl winner Mike McCarthy for two years. Is he ready? Hard to say, but the qualifications are there.
Brian Daboll (Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator)
While he may not be as young as Moore, there is no question that Daboll is just as qualified in terms of recent offensive success. His offense ranked 2nd in 2020 for Buffalo and now ranks 5th so far this year. One thing about him that gets overlooked is how he can work to his team’s strengths. Whenever his offense hasn’t had a viable option at QB? They’ve usually ranked in the top 10 in rushing as was the case in Cleveland and Kansas City.
The biggest selling points for Daboll are two-fold. His work with quarterback Josh Allen and his vast and varied experience. Allen was considered a major project when the Bills drafted him 7th overall in 2018. After some early bumps, Daboll got him playing like a Pro Bowler and he is now considered one of the best in the league.
Another thing in his favor is how many places he’s worked. Daboll spent time in Cleveland, Miami, Kansas City, and even Alabama as a coordinator before Buffalo. In that time he learned under different head coaches, grasping the dos and don’ts of the job. This also means he has connections at both the college and pro levels.
Jim Harbaugh (Michigan head coach)
There is a reason this name keeps coming up on every Chicago Bears head coach candidates list. Harbaugh has deep ties to the organization, having played quarterback for them in the late-80s and early 90s. It’s also been reported multiple times that the 57-year old views the Bears as his dream job. The head coaching position he covets most. So if an opportunity comes up next offseason, many feel the Michigan head coach will pursue it.
The interest is mutual. Sources have indicated Bears ownership is intrigued by Harbaugh. They’ve been impressed both by his success in San Francisco (three conference championship appearances and a narrow Super Bowl loss) as well as his ability to develop quarterbacks like Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. While many scoff at his time at Michigan, the fact is he’s 58-23 including 9-1 this year. It is the best winning percentage the Wolverines have enjoyed since Lloyd Carr stepped down in 2007.
He is undoubtedly a wild card, but Harbaugh has been a winner everywhere he has coached. There is also no question he’ll understand what it truly means to run the Bears franchise.
Greg Roman (Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator)
It is rather surprising that Roman hasn’t been a head coach already. If one were to go by extended success in the NFL, he certainly fits the bill. The man was the one who helped Harbaugh unlock Smith and Kaepernick in San Francisco between 2011 and 2014, reaching three-straight NFC championships. Then he moved on to Buffalo where he transformed former backup Tyrod Taylor into a Pro Bowler.
Yet his latest and greatest work has come in Baltimore where he turned Lamar Jackson into an MVP. What stands out the most with Roman is his ability to work to the strengths of his quarterbacks and his uncanny knack for crafting successful running games. In nine years, he has never had a rushing attack rank worse than 8th in the NFL. Just imagine what he might do with David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.
If one were talking about a great fit between coach and quarterback? It’s hard not to like the idea of Roman with the athletic freakazoid that is Justin Fields. The man learned under both Harbaugh brothers. He understands how to be a head coach. If anybody is an overdue candidate, it’s him.
Vance Joseph (Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator)
When reading a list of Chicago Bears head coach candidates, there is always that “one of these is not like the other” names. Joseph is undoubtedly that guy. Why is he on here? The primary reason is insider Benjamin Allbright. When discussing Matt Nagy and how it’s a virtual certainty he is gone, Joseph’s name was dropped as a likely candidate the McCaskeys will explore. That was a surprise.
So why is this? Most remember Joseph for his rather ugly two-year run as Denver Broncos head coach where they went 5-11 and 6-10. Not great. However, some argue that wasn’t entirely his fault. Joseph got saddled with a brutal quarterback situation from the outset with guys like Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch, and Case Keenum. To say nothing of the fact he inherited an aging roster in decline from their Super Bowl win in 2015.
Since departing, Joseph has collected himself nicely. Taking over a bad Cardinals defense in 2019, he’s taken them from 32nd his first year to 4th in his third. A truly impressive turnaround. Some around the NFL believe he deserves another chance. Chicago seems like a city that would embrace his style and this time he would have a quarterback to work with.