Who Haven't the Bears Spoken to For Their OC Vacancy?

The Bears now have five known candidates for their OC position, but today we're going to talk about a few names that could be next on that list.

Author

Patrick K. Flowers
January 16, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

It was a slow news day around Chicago, so today’s newsletter will be short, but I do want to talk a little bit about the Bears offensive coordinator situation. As of last night, the Bears had either completed or requested to interview five candidates for their OC vacancy.

Here’s the list of known candidates:

The Bears may have a handful of candidates at this point, but they’ve still got work to do. They have to interview at least one more candidate, and that candidate would have to be an external minority candidate to meet the Rooney Rule requirements.

So, that list will grow to, at a minimum, six before they announce a decision. I’ve discussed four of the five known candidates in the last few days at BN Bears, and we’ll get to know Greg Roman a little more tomorrow, but I wanted to talk about a few candidates that the Bears haven’t spoken to yet and either should or could.

Eric Bieniemy

It is possible that Bieniemy will find a head coaching job elsewhere, but considering that Ron Rivera is no longer the head coach of Washington, Bieniemy is probably searching for his next opportunity.

Unlike in previous head coach hiring cycles, Bieniemy hasn’t been connected to anyone more than a week after Rivera’s dismissal. I would be shocked if Adam Peters and the new Commanders front office didn’t go outside the organization for their next head coach and let that hire tailor his staff.

Bieniemy has previously worked with GM Ryan Poles for nine years in Kansas City and worked with Patrick Mahomes and Sam Howell. It's possible that the prospect of drafting a rookie quarterback would be appealing to Bieniemy.

Darrell Bevell

Darrell Bevell has worked with multiple NFL quarterbacks, including Brett Favre, Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, Tua Tagovailoa, and Trevor Lawrence. He has served as an offensive coordinator in the past and is currently the passing game coordinator for the NFL's highest-ranked passing attack in Miami. Their Wild Card clunker didn’t do anything to help his case, but the larger body of work should be considered.

It's worth noting that Bevell is working with a head coach who was previously the 49ers' running game coordinator before becoming their offensive coordinator. This means that Bevell's influence is being felt heavily in the success of this highly-ranked passing game. I like Mike McDaniel as an offensive mind. I like where he came from even more. I think Bevell spending the last two seasons with McDaniel at least warrants an interview.

Zac Robinson

The Bears have been tied to multiple Sean McVay disciples in this search, so why not one more? With five years of experience with McVay, Zac Robinson, who serves as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is likely to be a potential candidate for offensive coordinator positions in this coaching cycle and might end up on the Bears’ radar.

Although, Robinson has no play-calling experience, which seems like something the Bears have placed a value on in this process.

It might sound crazy, but maybe, just maybe … Kliff Kingsbury

If the Bears intend to draft USC's quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft, it would be wise for them to have a conversation with his former quarterbacks’ coach from college.

While Kingsbury's previous work with Williams is undoubtedly important, his NFL experience should also be taken into account. Kingsbury spent four seasons as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, where Kyler Murray earned two Pro Bowl selections under his guidance.

Yesterday’s Best

CHICAGO BEARS

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

  • Connor Bedard was back on the ice just a week after surgery to repair his fractured jaw. But don’t get too excited; his timeline for return hasn’t changed. He was just getting some conditioning in.

CHICAGO BULLS

  • Tough night for the Bulls in Cleveland last night. Eli has the Enhanced Box Score:

Enhanced Box Score: Cavaliers 109, Bulls 91 – January 15, 2024

The Chicago Bulls were able to erase a 21-point deficit, but their poor execution from downtown still led to a loss.

CHICAGO CUBS

What’s on deck?

  • The Blackhawks welcome the San Jose Sharks into town tonight. Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM CT at the United Center.