The Chicago Bears are nearing the end of their tumultuous 2021 season, which means we’re just four games away from the end of the Matt Nagy era in Chicago.
While there are arguments to be made for firing Nagy before the end of the season, the Bears have never fired a head coach in-season before, which means we still have a month before the ball gets rolling on what’s poised to be a busy offseason for Chicago.
Here are the top 10 coaching candidates, in the NFL and college, that the Bears should consider to replace Nagy:
Byron Leftwich, Buccaneers offensive coordinator
AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
One of the hottest head coaching candidates this offseason is Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, who’s learned under one of the best in Bruce Arians and won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady. While many will be quick to point to Brady as the main reason for Tampa Bay’s success, Leftwich led a top offense with Jameis Winston back in 2019. Leftwich has called plays for the Buccaneers for the last two seasons, where he’s had a chance to build his offense. In looking for a new head coach, the Bears will want to focus on the bond between Fields and his next coach, and he could certainly build a rapport with Leftwich, a former first-round quarterback.
Josh McDaniels, Patriots offensive coordinator
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The Bears actually interviewed Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for their head coaching vacancy back in 2018 before hiring Nagy after one year as offensive coordinator in Kansas City. But it’s hard not to watch what McDaniels has achieved in New England — both with and without Brady — and not believe he could help right the ship on offense. Any hesitancy about McDaniels stems from his first head coaching stint with the Denver Broncos back in 2009. But given it’s been 12 years, you have to believe that he’s learned from that first go-around. The only thing with hiring McDaniels is he might be hesitant to leave behind what’s become a pretty sweet gig with Bill Belichick in New England.
Brian Daboll, Bills offensive coordinator
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Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is someone who’s been linked to the Bears since before the start of the season as many expected Nagy to be relieved of his coaching duties fairly early on. When you look at how Buffalo has developed quarterback in Josh Allen, it’s hard not to wonder if Daboll can get the same out of Fields, who has a similar skillset to Allen. Unlike Nagy, who’s refused to adapt his offense to fit Fields’ strengths. Daboll has plenty of experience, where he’s worked with the likes of Bill Belichick and Nick Saban. Daboll has come under fire recently after some struggles by the Bills, but he remains a top coaching candidate to replace Nagy.
Kellen Moore, Cowboys offensive coordinator
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Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is going to be a popular head coaching candidate this offseason. Look no further than the success of Dallas’ offense. Moore has helped develop Dak Prescott into an elite quarterback, and the hope is he’d be able to do the same with Fields, who has a similar skillset. One of the biggest concerns about Moore is his lack of experience, as he’s served as an offensive coordinator for just three seasons — all with the Cowboys. But when you consider how the Bears went with Nagy after just one season as offensive coordinator with the Chiefs, Moore seems to be in a more favorable position.
Ryan Day, Ohio State head coach
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While there’s no indication that Ryan Day has an intention of leaving Ohio State for the NFL, he’s a popular head coaching candidate for the Bears given he coached Fields for two years. If there was ever going to be an attractive reason for Day to make that jump back to the NFL — after serving as a quarterbacks coach with the Eagles and 49ers in 2015 and 2016 — it would be to the Bears, where he knows he has his quarterback in place. Day might be friends with Nagy — as Day was the one who told Nagy that Fields would be a star — but don’t hold that against him.
Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator
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Following the failed Matt Nagy experiment, the Bears might be wary of poaching someone else from the Andy Reid coaching tree. But there’s an argument to be made that Bieniemy wouldn’t be a disaster like Nagy, starting with the fact that he has extended experience calling plays. Considering Bieniemy hails from the Reid coaching tree, his offense would look similar to Reid’s and Nagy’s. But if Bieniemy can adapt the offense to fit his players — namely Fields — the results would certainly be different.
Greg Roman, Ravens offensive coordinator
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Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman is an under-the-radar head coaching candidate, who’s found plenty of success with Baltimore over the past three seasons. One of the biggest knocks on Nagy has been his refusal to adapt his scheme to fit his players, namely his quarterbacks. The result has been disastrous over the last three seasons. Roman has proven to have the exact opposite mindset, as he’s adapted the Ravens offense to fit Lamar Jackson’s skillset to productive results. Fields and Jackson have similar skillsets, which would make it a seamless transition for Roman on offense.
Matt Eberflus, Colts defensive coordinator
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While most of the coaching candidates linked to the Bears will be offensive coordinators, it’s not a bad idea for Chicago to consider bringing in a defensive-minded head coach. And the best option on that front is Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who appears poised to become a head coach in the NFL at some point. Eberflus interviewed for head coaching jobs with the New York Jets and Houston Texans last year, and he left an impression on Houston. If the Bears hired Eberflus, he could handle things on the defensive side of the ball, where there are some young players in place in Roquan Smith and Jaylon Johnson among others, and bring in an offensive coordinator to focus on Fields and the offense.
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern head coach
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Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald has been linked to the Bears on several occasions, even when Chicago isn’t actively looking for a head coach. Fitzgerald has hinted that if he were to leave his cushy gig at Northwestern, it would be to go serve as the head coach of the Bears. There’s also a connection between Fitzgerald and Fields, which goes back to when Fitzgerald recruited Fields in high school. Chicago even picked Fitzgerald’s brain about Fields before the NFL draft. Fitzgerald has praised Fields even after his struggles in the Big Ten Championship Game in 2020, where Fields was said to have suffered a thumb injury. The coach-quarterback connection would certainly be there with Fitzgerald and Fields.
Leslie Frazier, Bills defensive coordinator
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Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier has already been linked to be Bears this year, so it’s fair to assume he’ll be among those Chicago interviews this offseason. Like Eberflus, the biggest question with Frazier would be who he would bring in as offensive coordinator to develop Fields and finally fix the Bears struggling offense, where there’s plenty of young talent on the roster. While the most important thing will be who will be the best candidate to get this franchise back on track, there’s an obvious franchise connection as Frazier played his entire NFL career with the Bears (1981-85), and was a member of the legendary ’85 Bears, which could dazzle George McCaskey.
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