The Chicago Bears have their offensive coordinator. Shane Waldron will lead the Bears offense next season.

Waldron was the Bears’ first interview; ultimately, they got their guy. But is he the right guy? We won’t know the answer to that question until we see Waldron’s offense at work next season. But right now, the hire grades out pretty well, in most people’s opinions.

Personally, Waldron and Zac Robinson were my favorite candidates among the Bears’ pool of interviewees for the opening.

Waldron was the most well-regarded candidate among those interviewed by the Bears. It's a credit to coach Matt Eberflus to get him onboard amid the increasing competition for teams to complete their staff. One of the most significant differences between Waldron and Getsy is the play-calling experience.

Waldron has spent three seasons calling plays, including the 2022 season with Geno Smith, who went from being a draft bust to an MVP candidate. In the 2022 season, Smith completed an NFL-best 69.8 percent of his passes for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. As a result, he received his first Pro Bowl selection in his ninth season.

Waldron has also worked with more starting quarterbacks than Getsy. The list includes Kirk Cousins (Washington, 2016), Jared Goff (Los Angeles, 2018-20), Russell Wilson (Seattle, 2021), and Smith. The Bears prioritized adaptability in their search, and Waldron's experience with multiple quarterbacks likely appealed to them.

Before joining the Bears, Getsy worked almost exclusively with Aaron Rodgers as the Packers' longtime starter. Waldron's experience with Rams coach Sean McVay should bode well for the Bears, as that system has proved to be effective in the NFL and is similar to what the Bears ran last season.

If you’re looking for what Waldron’s offense might look like, it’s not that different from Luke Getsy’s, in theory. The two coaches called plays differently, though.

Personnel-wise, they were almost identical, with the exception of the Bears using 21 personnel, significantly more than Waldron and the Seahawks. Here’s what the two coordinators did on first down snaps last season.

The only significant personnel difference between the two is the rate at which the Bears lined up in 21 personnel (2 RB, 1 TE, 2 WR) last season. The Bears used that 21 personnel grouping on 13 percent of their first down snaps (7th most in the NFL). Meanwhile, Seattle used that personnel grouping only 1 percent of its first down snaps.

Schematically, the two coaches did things a bit differently. Seattle was much less reliant on the shotgun formation than the Bears, tended to run the ball to the left side instead of the right side more often than not, ran behind the tackles more than outside, and played with more tempo than the Bears.

I unpacked the Waldron hire and what it might mean for the Bears offense next season (including a guess at the next most important hire, the QB coach):

It's possible that Greg Olson, the quarterbacks coach in Seattle, may follow Waldron to the Bears after his recent hiring. Thomas Brown, who previously coached with Waldron under McVay in Los Angeles, could be a good option for run-game coordinator/running backs coach.

It's crucial to build the best staff possible for the upcoming QBs after the past two seasons. This is something that Poles experienced when working in Kansas City.