NEWSLETTER
Neither the Chicago Bears, nor Indianapolis Colts have head coach openings (… yet), but both are believed to have the same candidate near the top of their interview list once their current coaches are dismissed:
Two teams with HC openings coming have #Chiefs ST coach Dave Toub at or near the top of their interview list.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) December 20, 2017
Chi/Indy
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) December 20, 2017
NFL insider Benjamin Allbright tweets that the Bears and Colts will have Kansas City Chiefs Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub “at or near the top of their interview list.” If you’ll recall, the Bears were believed to have a list of candidates as early as November and a list of rumored candidates seemed to be primarily filled with offensive-minded coaches.
For what it’s worth, Toub has a history with both teams, which could lead to something of a bidding war if he happened to be the top candidate for each position.
Toub was the Bears’ special teams coordinator from 200- 2012, when Lovie Smith was dismissed. Conveniently, Toub first crossed paths with Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard in 2012 when Ballard was the team’s Director of Pro Scouting after serving as an area scout from 2001 to 2011.
You might remember Chicago’s special teams units were top notch under Toub’s tutelage. The team unearthed gems like Robbie Gould, Devin Hester, and Corey Graham, among others. You also might notice the decline in special teams production since his departure. That’s probably not a coincidence.
Upon leaving Chicago, Toub was reunited with Andy Reid and Ballard when he accepted the position as Kansas City’s special teams coordinator. Before becoming the Colts’ GM in 2017, Ballard served as the Chiefs’ Director of Player Personnel and Director of Football Operations.
If Toub lands as a head coach, he will become a rare special teams coordinator to make that particular leap.
Of all the candidates who aren’t offensive coordinators or quarterback coaches, Toub might be the most intriguing because of his ties to Reid’s coaching tree. There are five active NFL coaches who were assistants who coached under Reid at one time or another, which includes Doug Pederson (Eagles), Sean McDermott (Bills), Ron Rivera (Panthers), and John Harbaugh (Ravens). Connecting the dots here would allow for the possibility Toub could hypothetically build an offensive staff that could get the most out of Mitch Trubisky in the years to come.
The Miami Dolphins interviewed Toub for their head coach opening back in 2012, and the Bears did the same a year later before settling on Marc Trestman. Whoops. Back in January, Reid said he believed Toub was ready for a head coaching job of his own. Toub won’t be the only Chiefs coach drawing interest from teams looking for new leadership, as he’ll join Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy atop plenty of lists.
Toub didn’t get that opportunity last season, but perhaps things will be different this time around.
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