The name was first floated a couple of weeks ago and the smoke has only gotten thicker since then. Now with Matt Nagy out of the picture, the Chicago Bears appear ready to make their movie. Dan Graziano of ESPN reported that the team has formally requested an interview with Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier for their head coaching position. The first of any that have been made public.
Frazier is coming off one of the best seasons any assistant coach has had this year. His Bills defense finished 1st both in points allowed and total yards. A small feat considering they lost star cornerback Tredavious White to a season-ending injury months ago. He also has prior head coaching experience from his time in Minnesota. Last but not least, he played for the Bears back in the 1980s. A member of their iconic 1985 championship team.
So the interest isn’t hard to understand.
Per source, the Bears have requested permission to interview Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier for their head coach opening.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) January 10, 2022
Needless to say, most Bears fans aren’t wild about this idea. Frazier was a failure in Minnesota. His offenses were never that impressive outside of Adrian Peterson being a beast. There is no evidence to suggest he knows how to develop a young quarterback. He is also 62-years old. Not a lot to get excited about from a fan perspective. Then again it is only the first interview request. There will be more.
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Leslie Frazier may end up with the job, but handing it to him at this stage feels wildly premature. The Bears also have GMs to interview and McCaskey stated quite clearly that the hope is to get a GM first. Then there is the fact Frazier must interview better than anybody else. Ask any veteran of this process and they will say the jobs are won and lost in the interviews. That is what happened with Pace and Nagy.
Don’t be surprised if somebody unexpected swoops in out of nowhere on this.