I wrote a few days ago that the Chicago Bears have shown a key tendency with their approach when it comes to hiring new head coaches or GMs. The last person they interview in a process is usually the one who gets the job. It was true with Ryan Pace in 2015 when he became the general manager and again with Matt Nagy in 2018 when he became head coach. That is why it is rather important to monitor the interview process.
As of this moment, the Bears have completed meetings with 10 GM candidates. Reggie McKenzie, the Dolphins’ senior personnel executive was the latest to do so per the team. Based on the available information to date, there are now six names remaining. None of those already interviewed have officially received a request for a second meeting. That could change, but it’s starting to feel like they might be narrowing the list to the candidates they like most. Especially when you see the names lined up.
Interviewed:
- Glenn Cook
- Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
- Jeff Ireland
- Ed Dodds
- Ran Carthon
- Joe Schoen
- Eliot Wolf
- Champ Kelly
- Reggie McKenzie
- Monti Ossenfort
Still to be interviewed:
- Rick Smith
- Omar Khan
- Morocco Brown
- JoJo Wooden
- Ryan Poles
- Joe Hortiz
It is hard to chalk those remaining names up to coincidence. Smith is said to be one of the best GM candidates on the market. Somebody that had considerable success in Houston. Khan comes from the Steelers, an organization the McCaskey family has strong ties to given their friendship with the Rooney family. Not to mention Khan has friends in the Bears scouting department.
Brown worked for the Bears from 2001 to 2007 and now sits in Indianapolis, the same organization Bill Polian led for over a decade. Wooden is an understudy of GM Tom Telesco who got his start under Polian with the Colts. Poles is a former Bears undrafted free agent that worked his way up to prominence in Kansas City. Hortiz comes from Baltimore, one of the best front offices in the NFL.
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We have completed interviews with general manager candidate Reggie McKenzie and head coach candidate Byron Leftwich.https://t.co/2MYZYw2Y4f
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 21, 2022
Chicago Bears are taking their time regardless of pressure
George McCaskey tried to tell everybody it would be thorough and exhaustive. It seems some didn’t bother to listen. It is evident the Bears owner along with Polian and the rest of the team is determined to get this right. That means getting a chance to meet as many quality candidates as possible. They may have a shortlist of names they’ve likely circled as preferences, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t give others a chance to make an impression.
By the sound of things, a couple of have does just that. Cook from the Browns and Ossenfort from the Titans. Don’t be surprised if those two get second interviews at some point. For now, things remain on course. Six names left to go. Four of them with varying degrees of connection to the organization or the man leading the search. The other two are widely viewed among the best personnel guys in the business.
Don’t be shocked if one of them ends up getting the nod at some point in the next week or two.