By now Chicago Bears fans have heard all the big names regarding who could replace Matt Nagy as head coach. Brian Daboll? Kellen Moore? Greg Roman? Byron Leftwich? Jim Harbaugh? Ryan Day? It’s a pretty extensive list. SM has already reported the organization continues to do research on possible candidates with the season winding down. Presuming the Bears lose this evening to Green Bay as expected, it should be the final nail in Nagy’s coffin. So here is one name nobody is talking about that they should be. Shane Steichen.
This is somebody that has flown under the radar for a variety of reasons. After a brief stint in Louisville as an assistant, he got a job with the San Diego Chargers in 2011. He bounced over to Cleveland for a year in 2013 before returning to San Diego in 2014 as a quality control coach. From there he began to climb the ladder, becoming their quarterbacks coach by 2016. Not an easy task for a guy who was 31-years old at the time. His QB was Philip Rivers, who was older than him.
That didn’t stop Steichen from having an impact.
Rivers enjoyed a late-career resurgence over the next couple of seasons including a standout 2018 campaign. One where he tied his career-high of a 105.5 passer rating with 32 touchdown passes at age 37. Sadly, age caught up to him in 2019. This resulted in the midseason firing of offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. Steichen was promoted in his place. An abrupt opportunity had presented itself. One he soon took full advantage of.
When the Chargers drafted Justin Herbert in 2020, it fell to the young coach to get him ready. What followed was one of the best rookie passing seasons in NFL history. Herbert threw for 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions. It was a star-making performance. Sadly, it wasn’t enough as the coaching staff was fired after the season ended.
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Shane Steichen didn’t wait long for a job though
The Philadelphia Eagles quickly scooped him up as their offensive coordinator, taking over the development of Jalen Hurts. One can’t argue with the results to this point. Philadelphia has the 11th-best scoring offense in the NFL including the #1 rushing attack. Hurts has accounted for over 3,000 total yards and 21 touchdowns in 12 games to this point. Even Gardner Minshew delivered a great performance in relief last week, posting a 133.7 passer rating.
The fact that Shane Steichen is able to get productivity out of quarterbacks that couldn’t be more different is the sign of a good coach. Justin Herbert is nothing like Hurts and Hurts is nothing like Minshew. Yet the underlying fact remains true. All three played at high levels in his offense. It shouldn’t matter where a man is coaching. If he is good at what he does, the results tend to show up.
This is what is happening with Steichen.
Will the Bears give him consideration when they start having interviews? Maybe. It feels doubtful at this point. The Eagles are 6-7 while Steichen is 36-years old with just two years of coordinating experience. After what just happened with Nagy, it doesn’t seem likely George McCaskey will be willing to take that risk. That said, they should at least meet with him. See what he’s about. He might surprise them.
