Getting to Know New Bears Quarterbacks Coach John DeFilippo

The Chicago Bears ended the 2019 season firing a handful of assistant coaches, and have since filled those vacancies with new coaches who will bring new voices and perspectives to a locker room that could use a boost. Next up, the new quarterbacks coach.

Previous: OL Coach Juan Castillo, TE Coach Clancy Barone, OC Bill Lazor

Offensive Coordinator

John Eugene DeFilippo, age 41

DeFilippo’s Coaching Experience

  • Fordham University (Quarterbacks, 2000)
  • Notre Dame (Graduate Assistant (2001-02)
  • Columbia (Quarterbacks, 2003-04)
  • New York Giants (Offensive Quality Control, 2005-06)
  • Oakland Raiders (Quarterbacks, 2007-08; 2012-14)
  • New York Jets (Quaarterbacks, 2009)
  • San Jose State (Quarterbacks, 2010-11)
  • Cleveland Browns (Offensive Coordinator, 2015)
  • Philadelphia Eagles (Quarterbacks, 2016-17)
  • Minnesota Vikings (Offensive Coordinator, 2018)
  • Jacksonville Jaguars (Offensive Coordinator, 2019)
  • Notable Coaches Worked For…

  • Tom Coughlin (2005-06)
  • Lane Kiffin (2007-08)
  • Rex Ryan (2009)
  • Dennis Allen (2012-14)
  • Mike Pettine (2015)
  • Doug Pederson (2016-17)
  • Frank Reich (2016-17)
  • Mike Zimmer (2018)
  • Doug Marrone (2019)
  • Why He’s Here

    Clearly, the Bears liked what they heard from DeFilippo when he interviewed to be the head coach back in 2018. So much so, they brought him into the fold as the team’s new quarterbacks coach. DeFilippo’s work with quarterbacks has been highly lauded for years. Because while his experience with Carson Wentz is most notable, that he has worked well with all sorts of different types of quarterbacks might be the most intriguing thing on his résumé. Whether it’s rookies (Wentz, Garnder Minshew II, JaMarcus Russell, Derek Carr) or veterans (Kirk Cousins, Josh McCown, Nick Foles), DeFilippo has a body of work that is nothing short of impressive.

    With that being said, DeFilippo will need to lean hard into his coaching past (especially the film-room study) in order to unlock the best of Mitch Trubisky.

    Hey, This Could Work …

    True story: DeFilippo once coaxed a 77.1 passer rating from JaMarcus Russell in 2008. No fooling. Russell threw for 2,423 yards, 13 touchdowns (3.5 TD%), and 8 interceptions (2.2 INT%). It was the best year of Russell’s career, which ended in 2009. If anyone can get Trubisky back on track, it’s a coach like DeFilippo who helped an all-time NFL bust into a respectable season while working as his position coach. And if it works out, DeFilippo’s stock will certainly be on the rise again.

    (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

    written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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