The first candidate the Chicago Bears interviewed for their offensive coordinator opening was one people didn’t even expect to be available. Shane Waldron had held the same position with the Seattle Seahawks for the past three seasons. However, things took an unexpected shift when Pete Carroll stepped down as head coach. That meant the entire staff was open to poaching. Waldron is another disciple of the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan wide-zone system the Bears wanted to run under Luke Getsy. It made sense to speak with Waldron if they wanted to maintain system continuity.
In the end, they got the guy they wanted.
During his time in Seattle, Waldron built a reputation for a great mix of explosive passing and smashmouth running. His creativity stood out many times, crafting excellent play designs that got his players the ball in space. By far, his greatest achievement came in 2022 when he got quarterback Geno Smith, widely considered a bust after an ugly stint in New York, to throw for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns. If he could do that, imagine what he might accomplish with Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.
The Chicago Bears made the right decision.
They went for a candidate who has previous playcalling experience and should maintain system continuity for the players they already have. It shouldn’t be a difficult adjustment. People in Seattle didn’t care for Waldron, but that is likely due to some of the struggles the team had in 2023. While they still cracked over 4,000 yards passing, the touchdown total dipped from the previous year, and the team struggled to run the ball. Part of that was the array of tough defenses they had to play. Seven of their games came against top 10 defenses.
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The next step for the Chicago Bears is filling the four other vacant spots on the offensive staff. They still need a quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach, running backs coach, and assistant offensive line coach. Word is they’re hoping to hire some of the other candidates they’ve spoken to for those positions, assembling a deep and experienced staff to help develop their next quarterback. It is a good plan. Let’s see if Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles can seal the deal.
