Ryan Poles and the Bears weren’t kidding when they said they would leave no stone unturned in their quest to improve the offense this season.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Bears have interviewed or requested to interview nine different offensive minds to lead their offense in 2024. I’ve cranked out profiles on all nine candidates at BN Bears this week (and last), and if you’re looking for some basic background and my two cents on each candidate, I encourage you to check those out.

But today, we will try to make some sense of all the names we’ve heard and create some separation by dividing the candidates into tiers.

Here’s what the tiers will look like:

Shane Waldron

Waldron was the first name on the Bears list, and the interview request came almost immediately after the end-of-season press conference at Hallas Hall. Eight candidates later, and Waldron still leads the pack in my book.

Waldron is currently the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. He has spent the last three seasons in that position in Seattle and previously worked under Sean McVay in Los Angeles as a passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Waldron’s raw offensive rankings in Seattle this season aren’t terrific, but the underlying metrics paint a much more promising picture.

The Seahawks ranked 12th in total offensive DVOA this season and 6th and 18th in passing and rushing, respectively.

In Waldron’s three seasons as the play-caller in Seattle, the Seahawks passing offense DVOA has ranked 6th, 9th, and 9th. In 2021, Waldron’s offense ranked 7th in total DVOA, 9th in passing DVOA, and 5th in rushing DVOA against the second most challenging schedule of opponents.

According to FTN Fantasy, Seattle ranked 12th in the league in yards per drive in 2023 and 12th in points per drive. Seattle’s offense ranked third in the league in pace this season (total seconds per play) this season.

Waldron has the McVay connection (and Shanahan by association), play-calling experience, and a successful body of work in Seattle to make him my favorite in the field right now.

Klint Kubiak

In Kubiak, you have a play-caller who runs an offense very similar to what Kyle Shanahan runs in San Francisco, which makes a ton of sense, seeing as Shanahan worked for Klint’s dad, Gary, in Houston. Bears fans got an up-close look at Kubiak’s offense a couple of years ago in Minnesota when the Vikings had an offense that ranked in the top third in yardage and scoring.

The Vikings’ offense ranked 13th in the league in offensive DVOA in 2021 under Kubiak, and the passing and rushing splits ranked 14th and 10th that season. The Vikings ranked eighth in pace, 10th in yards per drive, and 13th in touchdowns per drive under Kubiak in 2021.

Kubiak runs a wide-zone run scheme centered around running outside and using zone-blocking principles. The object is to stretch the field horizontally while leaving the middle of the field open off of play action.

While he has less play-calling experience than Waldron, he’s a candidate that I would be happy with the Bears hiring. After the nightmare of the Luke Getsy era in Chicago, I understand why the Bears (and the fan base) are hesitant to bring in someone with little or no play-calling experience, but Luke Getys just stunk.

Mike McDaniel and Bobby Slowik (two names off the same tree) had zero play-calling experience before becoming play-callers in Miami and Houston in the last few years, and that hasn’t stopped them from being successful.

Zac Robinson

Zac Robinson is a Sean McVay disciple and a popular name for up-and-coming offensive minds in the NFL these days. He has other interview requests for OC positions and is likely to land an OC job.

Now, here’s where you have to re-read the last two paragraphs in the Kubiak section about not placing too much stock into the prerequisite of past play-calling experience. It’s not a requisite for a successful play-caller in the modern-day NFL.

It does make the hire a gamble, which is something the Bears never do. So, I wouldn’t bet on a guy like Robinson. However, I’m very intrigued by him.

Robinson worked with McVay and the quarterbacks in LA, played a role in winning a Super Bowl, and is a bright offensive mind. My only concern is that Eberflus may interfere with his lack of experience. If the Bears hire Robinson, he needs full autonomy.

Kliff Kingsbury

Kliff Kingsbury has had success coaching top quarterbacks in the NFL and college. While some question whether he's ready for another head coach job, he could be a great pick for the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator position, especially if they draft Caleb Williams. Even if they don't hire him, interviewing Kingsbury would provide valuable insights into Williams.

This quote from Kingsbury sticks out to me:

“They’re here because they played that style. That’s how they play. Let’s just try and make that style work for them, and help it anyway we can. Like I said, I’ve gotten to see two really extreme cases of it, and they were both really fun to coach because of it," Kingsbury told Albert Breer regarding coaching Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams.

A head coach who plays to his QB’s strengths? The Bears would never!

Throwing away the 2022 season when Kyler Murray blew out his ACL, Kingsbury’s offense in Arizona ranked 14th, 17th, and 12th in total offensive DVOA during his time in the desert. Both his passing and rushing offense ranked in the middle of the pack, and his offense ranked 11th and 10th in yards and points per drive in 2021.

Liam Coen

Coen is a part of the McVay tree and has had varying degrees of success in Los Angeles and at the collegiate level with Kentucky. He’s not a bad candidate; he’s just not one that jumps off the paper for me. He would be a safe and even underwhelming hire for me, which is, of course, the Bears way.

Greg Olson

Olson isn’t the sexiest name in the search, and he’s never really stuck anywhere (which will be a vital conversation in this process). Still, he’s got a plethora of results when it comes to extracting the most out of the quarterbacks and offenses that he works with.

Greg Roman

The Bears bringing in a coordinator just to revive Justin Fields’ career is risky as it puts all their eggs in one basket. Even if they stick with Fields, they should find an offensive coordinator who can help him succeed as a passer. The Ravens let go of Roman after Lamar Jackson’s worst seasons, and under Todd Monken, they’ve become the best team in the AFC, and Lamar Jackson is the favorite to win the MVP award.

While I don't think the Bears will hire Roman as their next offensive coordinator, it's a good idea for them to interview multiple candidates to gather different perspectives and opinions.

Thomas Brown

I doubt the Bears will hire Brown as their next offensive coordinator, but it's good for them to cast a wide net in their search. They need to hire position coaches once they find an OC, and Brown's extensive experience with running backs and tight ends makes him a great fit for that role.

Marcus Brady

Brady's NFL track record doesn't make him a great choice for the Bears' offense. He has limited experience as an offensive coordinator, mainly in the CFL.

While he has worked with some excellent quarterbacks, such as Jalen Hurts, Phillip Rivers, and Andrew Luck, it feels like he’s a coach who has just been around some great quarterbacks but has not necessarily played a significant role.

It's unclear how much of their success he contributed to, but he would be an exciting person to talk to. The Bears need to fill out their offensive staff beyond the coordinator position, making these conversations crucial.