The Los Angeles Rams might have left a blueprint behind for a team like the Chicago Bears who could be looking to move away from their old-fashioned, defensive-minded head coach and replace him with an innovative offensive mind.
On the other side of the country, the Philadelphia Eagles’ coaching structure provides an idea of how the Bears could build a staff layered with quarterback-focused coaches who could build up Mitch Trubisky.
But those aren’t the only two situations Chicago should examine when the time comes to find its next head coach.
Over at NFL Network’s Good Morning Football program, Senior National Writer/sideline reporter/league insider Peter Schrager puts together a list of the best soon-to-be head coaches.
You can check out Schrager’s top-5 (and explanation behind them) here:
Soon to be head coaches? @PSchrags has a list of 5 coordinators who may have get a serious look this offseason.
📺: @gmfb pic.twitter.com/Ivv1nOlr64
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 23, 2017
We have previously discussed the possibility of coaches like Josh McDaniels, Matt Nagy, and Frank Reich in separate posts – which you should check out to get a little bit of background. But those aren’t the only names who should be on the Bears’ radar. In fact, two names here stand out as far as outside-the-box candidates are concerned.
Carolina Panthers Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks has previous ties to the Bears as an assistant coaching defensive backs under Lovie Smith and Ron Rivera, back when that tandem was leading Chicago’s defensive unit to great things. He also has experience as Rivera’s associate head coach, handling things like substitutions and timeouts from time to time.
All that stuff is nice and makes him an intriguing candidate who should get a look from any team looking to make a change. But Schrager’s description of Wilks being “considered a leader of men” stands out. The Bears have played uninspiring and undisciplined ball the last few years and it feels as if the squad has lacked direction. A “leader of men” type could provide the kind of breath of fresh air the organization needs – even if it’s from a defensive-minded coach.
Meanwhile, Nate Burleson highlights what Pat Shurmur could bring to the table as a head coaching candidate when he points out how well the Minnesota Vikings offense has performed despite numerous setbacks.
The Vikings are essentially on their third-string quarterback with Case Keenum and lost stud rookie running back Dalvin Cook early in the season. And it’s not as if Minnesota’s receiving corps was a feared group coming into the 2017 season, but Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen have developed into quite the tandem.
Shurmur has some sneaky, under-the-radar value as a coach who has head coaching experience, extensive experience in the NFC North, and is the coach who has gotten the most out of quarterbacks Teddy Bridgewater (Pro Bowl in 2015), Sam Bradford (101.1 rating, 71.8 completion percentage in 17 starts), and Keenum (career-best 98.9 rating, 3,219 passing yards, and a 2.9 TD-INT ratio).
The obvious candidates are obvious for good reason. But the Bears aren’t in a position to leave any stone unturned when it comes to finding their next head coach.