Things are moving fast for the Chicago Bears. Black Monday didn’t waste much time as George McCaskey elected to fire both head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace. This decision came after consulting with multiple outside people including Hall of Famers such as Tony Dungy and Bill Polian. It was the right decision. Changes were needed. Now the real work begins. Trying to find a replacement for both.
If McCaskey stays true to form, then expect the Bears to work fast on finding a GM first. There are plenty of candidates out there. All of them are interested in the job. One that Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago revealed is already being lined up for an interview. That is Morocco Brown, the current Indianapolis Colts director of college scouting. Also, somebody with a strong connection to the franchise, having served as their assistant director of pro personnel from 2001 to 2007.
“As the Chicago Bears begin a search for a new general manager, one name to watch is Indianapolis Colts director of college scouting Morocco Brown.
Brown is expected to be interviewed for the position and is a “strong” candidate, according to league sources. That said, the Bears could focus on hiring a head coach first, which would heavily influence the general manager decision. The team began to do its homework on potential GM candidates last month and Brown was identified as a potential candidate. He is said to be interested in the position.”
Interest in somebody like Brown isn’t a surprise.
He’s been a big part of helping rebuild a depleted Colts roster for the past five years with superstar names like Quentin Nelson and Darius Leonard headlining the turnaround. He has a connection to the Bears, so he understands the franchise and the McCaskey ownership. Last but not least, he is a minority option. McCaskey is said to have a major role in pushing the NFL to improve diversity hiring.
It probably isn’t a coincidence that Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier was a rumored option at head coach either. All of this paints a clear enough picture. McCaskey is going to take every candidate seriously regardless of skin color. He wants to find the best man available to fix this franchise. Meeting with Brown is a good first step and he has solid credentials to back it up.
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Brown has an interesting track record for Chicago Bears
When examining his background, a few things come to light. What stood out the most was his tendency to find top quality offensive linemen. Nelson was mentioned earlier but he is hardly the first good player in the trenches the longtime scout helped discover. Not just in Indianapolis but also as a personnel director in Cleveland (2014-2015), Washington (2008-2013), and Chicago.
- Quentin Nelson
- Braden Smith
- Ryan Kelly
- Joel Bitonio
- Trent Williams
- John Tait
- Ruben Brown
- Roberto Garza
Not a bad list at all.
It doesn’t stop there though. Brown also had a hand in securing really good offensive weapons as well like Pierre Garcon, Taylor Gabriel, Michael Pittman Jr., Jordan Reed, and Jonathan Taylor. Considering how vital it is the Chicago Bears need to build around Justin Fields, it becomes much easier to see why they have an interest in somebody like him. The guy’s track record falls right in line with what they need to maximize their young quarterback.
That being said, Morocco Brown shouldn’t be considered a lock for the job. Only somebody the Bears are planning to meet. While the process may go fast, he won’t be the only one that McCaskey talks to in the coming days.