May and June are typically times when NFL teams decide to shake up their organizational structure. Scouts, executives, and coaches get promoted, re-assigned, or replaced. The Chicago Bears made significant changes to their scouting department with three new area scouts and a new pro scouting director. However, there was also some action on the coaching front. Every year, the team invites multiple names for training camp through the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Six have joined the Bears this year.
Most are the usual types: young guys and girls hoping to climb the ladder. However, there was one interesting exception. Stefon Wheeler has plenty of coaching experience already. His most recent stop? That would be Yale, where he helped a young man named Kiran Amegadjie become a 3rd round pick in the recent draft. Chicago, of course, was the team who took him. It is an unexpected subplot going into the summer, perhaps indicating the Bears are a fan of Wheeler’s work.
The Chicago Bears’ interest in Wheeler is understandable.
Amegadjie isn’t the first prospect he’s sent to the NFL from a smaller program. During his four years at Rhode Island, he helped turn Kyle Murphy into a 6th round pick. After six seasons in the NFL, he has shifted over to the UFL, where he’s having success with the D.C. Defenders. Wheeler’s tenures as an offensive line coach are marked by excellent rushing attacks. This harkens back to his time as a blocker for Michigan State and in NFL Europe. It is easy to understand why the Bears like him. They want to be a strong rushing team even as they remain focused on protecting Caleb Williams.
It will be interesting to see if Wheeler makes a strong impression. He may not leave Yale unless he’s certain of a legitimate coaching position. The Chicago Bears already have an assistant offensive line coach, which means they would have to invent a new position. It’s worth noting that they have added offensive assistants for the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs. Making one for the offensive line would hardly be a stretch. Amegadjie would probably be thrilled at getting to keep working with the coach who got him into the NFL.
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