Matt Eberflus didn’t overly impress anybody with his choice for offensive line coach in 2022, opting for Chris Morgan. He had most notably been the OL coach in Atlanta during their 2016 Super Bowl run but had been fired after the 2020 season. He received little interest after that, choosing to become the assistant offensive line coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That probably should’ve been a red flag at the time. Ben Johnson knew he couldn’t afford to make the same mistake. That is why he went headhunting for the best.
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears are closing a deal to make Dan Roushar the team’s next offensive line coach.
The Chicago Bears are expected to hire Dan Roushar as offensive line coach, a source told the Tribune on Monday — a critical role as new coach Ben Johnson works toward finalizing his staff.
Roushar, 64, spent the last two seasons at Tulane and also has ample NFL experience. He spent 10 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, coaching a unit that became one of the better lines in the league protecting quarterback Drew Brees.
Make no mistake—this is a big deal. Roushar has coached the offensive line since 1989. Over the years, he has built a glittering reputation as one of the absolute best in the business. Brandon Thorn, one of the top O-line analysts in the industry, reiterated this not once but twice in recent years. He was second by Brian Baldinger, a former offensive lineman himself.
Ben Johnson knew he needed a good teacher to get things cleaned up.
Roushar routinely proved he was one of the best during a decade-long stint in New Orleans. During that time, the Saints drafted and developed four eventual Pro Bowlers: Terron Armstead, Andrus Peat, Ryan Ramczyk, and Erik McCoy. That doesn’t include Larry Warford, who signed there as a free agent in 2017 and went on to three straight Pro Bowls. The fact is when you give Roushar good pieces to work with, he’s going to turn them into studs. One can only imagine what he will accomplish with Darnell Wright.
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Don’t expect Ben Johnson to stop there. He probably hopes to give his new assistant more toys to play with. Expectations are high that Chicago will be aggressive on the offensive line front, both in free agency and the draft. It wouldn’t be shocking if two of their first three picks were in that position. For the first time in years, it feels like the Bears have proven commodities on their staff. Roushar will be joined by Eric Bieniemy (RBs coach) and Antwaan Randle El (WRs coach). Together with Johnson himself as the maestro, this offense could be a lot of fun in the near future.
