Hey now, the Chicago Bears have a new defensive coordinator! And while that’s a start, other positions throughout the staff still must be filled. Eventually, we’ll dive deep into the holes that need to be filled on Sean Desai’s side of the ball. But in the meantime, a new name has emerged as a person of interest who could coach up Chicago’s offense.
After all, turning to a three-time 1,000-yard rusher is an idea worth exploring:
Let me rephrase this: the #Bears haven't spoken to Duce Staley. I deleted the original tweet because of it. I jumped the gun a little bit. There is interest there, however. That's it for right now.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) January 22, 2021
The Athletic’s Adam Jahns tweets the Bears have an interest in discussing with Duce Staley the possibility of joining Matt Nagy’s staff. Earlier, Jahns tweeted Chicago had spoken to Staley about a gig. But because Staley is under contract with the Eagles with a title of Assistant Head Coach/RBs Coach, I’m unsure how those discussions could come about. Nevertheless, it’s clear the Bears have an interest in bringing Staley on board.
And why wouldn’t they?
Staley, 45, has ample playing and coaching experience – he’s been in Philadelphia since 2010, when Andy Reid hired him as a Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship recipient. Since then, Staley has climbed the coaching ladder, serving stints as a Special Teams Quality Control Coach (2011-12) and RBs Coach (2013-present). Staley also added the Assistant Head Coach title in 2018, but has maintained his role coaching up Philly’s backs. Prior to his time as a coach, Staley had a 10-year NFL career split between the Eagles (1997-2003) and Steelers (2004-06). And, oh yeah … had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons and scored 34 total touchdowns in 114 games. Pretty nifty career.
With that being said, Staley’s career in Philadelphia appears to be at a crossroads. The Eagles fired Doug Pederson earlier this month and have since hired former Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni. A new coach tends to bring in their own guys, meaning Staley could be on his way out. And between the Bears’ opening at running backs coach and Nagy’s affinity for copying Andy Reid, I can see the potential fit. So stay tuned.