The Chicago Bears may have kept Matt Nagy as head coach, but that doesn’t mean changes aren’t coming. Already they’ve lost defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano to retirement. This could lead to yet more turnover on the defensive staff as assistants Pagano brought in may bolt or be removed by his eventual replacement. Now the offensive side is seeing its own shuffling.
Passing game coordinator Dave Ragone is expected to join the Atlanta Falcons as their new offensive coordinator, reuniting with Arthur Smith whom he worked with in Tennessee. In a bit of a twist, he’ll be accompanied by running backs coach Charles London. That might be an even bigger loss given the strong job he did in developing David Montgomery the past two years.
So who are some potential options the Bears should look to as replacements? Here are a few names who should be contacted.
Top Chicago Bears options to replace Charles London
Anthony Lynn
The former Los Angeles Chargers head coach had a solid run with that team. It’s fair to think he might get some looks as an offensive coordinator somewhere. If he doesn’t though, he is guaranteed to land a job as a running backs coach. That is the position that helped make him famous in the first place. It started in 2003 when he got a career-high 1,572 yards out of Jacksonville Jaguars star Fred Taylor. Then after joining Dallas in 2005 he turned Julius Jones and Marion Barber into one of the best 1-2 punches in the league.
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Then in 2009, he got a career-best 1,402 yards out of Thomas Jones and a 1,000-yard season out of Shonn Greene in 2011 for the New York Jets. LeSean McCoy had one of his best seasons with him in Buffalo in 2016. The list is extensive and impressive. If the Bears could somehow snag him for the job, David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen would be in excellent hands.
Terry Robiskie
One of the most well-traveled and experienced offensive position coaches in the business. Robiskie has been around the NFL as a coach since 1982. He helped the Los Angeles Raiders win the Super Bowl the next year. He’s spent time with several different teams since, routinely showing an ability to mold different offensive players. That includes Julio Jones in Atlanta among many others.
Yet his most impressive work to date might be in his first stint as a running backs coach. Last season he got a career-best 1,152 yards out of Leonard Fournette in Jacksonville. Then this season he transformed undrafted free agent James Robinson into an instant star as he finished 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. The 66-year old can coach.
Duce Staley
This man is a running backs coach yet he’s already getting early looks for possible head coaches jobs. That tells you all you need to know about his leadership qualities. Everybody is certain that Staley will be a head coach in the near future. In terms of running backs? He knows what he’s doing. The man was a pretty good one himself, topping 1,000 yards three times in his career with the Philadelphia Eagles.
After retiring, he soon joined their coaching staff and became their running backs coach in 2013. A job he has firmly held since despite a change at head coach. His work speaks for itself. LeSean McCoy has his best season that first year with 1,607 yards. Then after he left, Staley was able to cobble together effective backfields including the combo of LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi in 2017 en route to a Super Bowl title. He gets the most out of what he has. Consistently.
Kyle Caskey
This is one of the underrated names in the NFL. The Chicago Bears certainly know about him. Caskey first emerged in 2014 when he became running backs coach with the Cincinnati Bengals. With his help, both Jeremy Hill and Joe Mixon ended one becoming 1,000-yard rushers. Giovani Bernard also topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage twice under his watch. The man is proven to get the most out of his talent.
His most underappreciated work though may have come this past season in Detroit. Adrian Peterson had over 700 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns. Rookie D’Andre Swift had over 870 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. It was an effective tandem despite a blatant lack of commitment to the ground game by the Lions all year long.
Anthony Jones
This guy is becoming a bit of a rock star in college circles. While most people see Alabama and Georgia as the primary factories for good NFL running backs, people would never guess that Memphis has suddenly become one as well. Yet it’s the case. Tony Pollard, Darrell Henderson, and Antonio Gibson have all become major contributors with their respective teams in the past two years. All were molded by Anthony Jones.
It’s crazy to think how fast he’s had an impact too. Prior to 2017 when he joined Memphis, he was a head coach at the high school level. Now he’s producing a steady stream of NFL talent. That is usually a sign the guy is pretty good at his job. If the Chicago Bears want to be bold, they should give him a call about making the jump to the NFL.