NEWSLETTER
QB Coach Dave Ragone is one of very few assistant coaches from the John Fox era to not yet abandon ship, but his place in the Chicago Bears’ organization is still up in the air.
Indeed, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports that Houston Texans offensive assistant Pat O’Hara is in Chicago interviewing for the Bears’ Quarterbacks Coach job … even though Ragone (who currently holds that title) is still under contract. But this isn’t much of a surprise. If you recall, O’Hara’s name popped up as a potential QBs Coach candidate, shortly after Matt Nagy took over as the team’s head coach.
And for what it’s worth, it seems as though O’Hara comes highly recommended:
Pat O'Hara, Texans offensive assistant who's worked with the QBs under Bill O'Brien, is highly thought of within the organization. He'd be a terrific hire by the Bears under new coach Matt Nagy. Texans don't want to lose him.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) January 16, 2018
O’Hara had a 16-year playing career that started in 1991, after being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and included stops in the Arena Football League and World League of American Football. He has coaching experience that dates back to high school and includes time as an AFL head coach before landing in the NFL as an assistant under Bill O’Brien in 2015.
Ragone built a nice rapport with Mitch Trubisky in his rookie season and deserves credit for his part in aiding in the rookie’s development. However, it’s clear that Nagy wants to mold his coaching staff how he sees fit. Hence, his interview with O’Hara, a young, quarterback-friendly assistant who helped Houston’s position coach in the development of Deshaun Watson.
A new QBs Coach wouldn’t necessarily mean Ragone will be pushed out the door, but it might move him further away from Trubisky. Ragone has two years of experience as a Wide Receivers Coach with the Tennessee Titans, but the Bears recently hired former NFL wideout Mike Furrey to coach the position. He also spent 2015 as an offensive quality control coach for the Washington Redskins.
