It doesn’t appear as if Vic Fangio is the only Chicago Bears assistant coach who could be on other teams’ radars.
Dark horse for the #Titans offensive coordinator position? #Bears QB coach Dave Ragone. Already on the OC radar of some #NFL teams. Helped Trubisky's development immensely. Also spent 2018 under Chicago OC Mark Helfrich, who was Marcus Mariota's coach at Oregon from 2013-2014.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) January 8, 2019
Yahoo! Sports Senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson tweets that Bears Quarterbacks Coach Dave Ragone is “on the radar” of some NFL teams as a future offensive coordinator and could be a dark horse to fill that position for the Tennessee Titans. The opening in Tennessee came about when Matt LaFleur left after just one year to fill the Green Bay Packers’ head-coaching vacancy. Oh, that NFC North. What a tangled web we weave, even when the ends aren’t directly connected.
Should Ragone take his talents to Nashville, it will be a return trip to a familiar setting. Ragone was the Titans Wide Receivers Coach in 2011 and 2012 before moving on to becoming the team’s Quarterbacks Coach in 2013. Don’t you love it when things come full circle?
Ragone was the only holdover among the offensive coaches who served on John Fox’s staff, as the rapport he built with Mitch Trubisky during his rookie year allowed the Bears to have some continuity on the side of the ball otherwise rife with change. Trubisky’s growth has been discussed most recently here, here, and here. So while some metrics paint the young QB in a less-than-flattering light, others suggest things aren’t as dark. In any case, some of Trubisky’s growth will be attributed to a position coach who’s been with him every step of the way in his pro career. And because the Bears were successful in 2018, their blueprint is one other teams might want to copy moving forward.
We are currently sitting on pins and needles awaiting a decision from the Denver Broncos regarding their head coach search, which is reportedly down to Fangio and Steelers Offensive Line Coach Mike Munchak. If Fangio leaves, an offseason of change will begin in earnest at Halas Hall. And if Ragone follows suit, there will be different faces coaching on both sides of the ball. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that two of the most important factors in the Bears’ 12-win season – Trubisky’s improved quarterbacking in conjunction with a stellar defensive showing – also featured continuity on the coaching side.
Head Coach Matt Nagy insisted he has contingency plans if any of his assistant coaches leaves for a promotion elsewhere. That’s good news … because he just might need them sooner, rather than later.