NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears are putting out feelers for potential defensive coordinator candidates.
And their most recent request for an interview is a name the organization should be familiar with:
The Chicago Bears have requested permission to speak with Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards regarding their defensive coordinator opening, according to a source. Because it is for a coordinator's job, the Cowboys cannot block the… https://t.co/e9JHzYiBBj
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) January 19, 2021
ESPN’s Todd Archer reports the Bears want to interview Dallas Cowboys Senior Defensive Assistant George Edwards for their defensive coordinator vacancy. If Edwards’ name sounds familiar, it might be because of the six years he spent as the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator. And if that doesn’t quite ring a bell, then you might recall Edwards interviewed for the Bears’ head-coaching gig after John Fox was fired in 2018. That job went to Matt Nagy, as you might know by now. But clearly, the interview must’ve gone well enough for the Bears to want to inquire about Edwards running their defense.
Edwards is one of the most experienced defensive minds who could conceivably step right in and right the ship. The 53-year-old has been coaching since 1991 when he was an assistant at Florida. And his time as a professional coach dates back to 1998 when he was the Cowboys’ linebackers coach. Since then, Edwards has coached in Washington, Cleveland, Miami, Buffalo, Minnesota, and Dallas (again). His most recent stint with the Cowboys came as a Senior Defensive Assistant. And yeah, I realize the Cowboys’ defense was nothing to write home about in 2020. But Edwards has nine years of experience as a defensive coordinator, and those years with in Minnesota left quite an impression on me.
From 2014-19, the Vikings defense never finished outside of the top third in points allowed. They also never finished in the bottom half of the league in points. Six years of consistency despite varying levels of turnover success. That’s impressive.
We’ll dive into more about Edwards later. But in the meantime, it’s nice knowing the Bears are branching out in their search for Chuck Pagano’s replacement. Remember, they’ve also requested an interview with Colts Des Coach Jonathan Gannon.
