The Chicago Bears are trying to find their next wide receivers coach. It is an important job to fill given how poor the performance of the group was in 2023 outside of D.J. Moore. Unsurprisingly, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron is already showing influence in this process. The first name the Bears reached out to was Sanjay Lal, whom Waldron worked with in Seattle. He withdrew his name from consideration, preferring opportunities elsewhere. Now, another prominent name has surfaced, and this one might be even better.
Ian Rapoport announced the Bears would interview longtime wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard for the position. Hilliard played the position himself in the NFL, carving out a productive career with the Giants and Buccaneers. He transitioned to coaching in 2009 and quickly developed a strong track record everywhere he’s been. He was the wide receivers coach for Washington from 2012 to 2019, outside of a brief stint in Buffalo in 2013. Waldron worked with him in 2016 before heading to Los Angeles. It seems he didn’t forget about the young coach.
Shane Waldron knows how valuable Hilliard can be.
For one, he has coached in the wide-zone system for multiple seasons. His experience came in Washington under Mike Shanahan, Kyle Shanahan, and Sean McVay. That would be instantly valuable for Waldron who runs a variation of that scheme. Beyond that, Hilliard is just good at getting the most from his players. He got 1,000-yard seasons from Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon despite both being in their 30s. He also developed a young Terry McLaurin, who had over 900 yards as a rookie.
Probably Hilliard’s best work came in Pittsburgh. There he got a Pro Bowl out of Diontae Johnson and two 800-yard seasons from Chase Claypool. It might not be a coincidence both players fell off a cliff after he left. The fact Hilliard is a free agent is baffling. Thankfully Shane Waldron might be pushing to rectify that. It would be another quality addition to this staff and a far cry from the overall inexperience that permeated the offensive side under Luke Getsy. There would be no surprise if he got the job shortly after the interview.
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