NEWSLETTER
When it comes to the Chicago Bears’ offense, there is nowhere to go but up.
And no position group embodies that concept more than the offensive line. The much-maligned group has been dealing with injuries, under-performance, rotating players in and out of the lineup, switching coaches, and more in recent years. The instability up front isn’t the sole reason why this group has had its struggles, but it sure hasn’t been helpful.
Perhaps new leadership will put the big guys up front on the right path.
The Bears announced they are hiring Chris Morgan as the team’s new offensive line coach. Morgan has 13 years of coaching experience in the NFL, with his most recent stint coming with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021. Morgan isn’t a high-profile hire, but one whose background has some noteworthy nuggets. Among them, a six-year stretch as coaching the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive line.
That group did wonders in protecting Matt Ryan in his MVP season in 2016, to be sure. And while I’ll fall short of praising the line for helping the Falcons rack up a 33.8 points per game average that season, I will take note how this technically makes Morgan a branch of the Kyle Shanahan tree. Because not only was he with Shanahan in Atlanta, he was with him from 2011-13 while both were in Washington. Sean McVay (TEs Coach 2011-13) and Matt LaFleur (QBs Coach) were in D.C., too. Nice little coaching tree they had going there in our nation’s capital.
To me, seeing the potential Shanahan connection might be more worthwhile than having a known name as an offensive line coach. Because in addition to coaching up line play, the Bears line needs an identity. And those Shanahan teams have that going for them. As cliché as that sounds, keep in mind that clichés become that because there is a morsel of truth in them. So, perhaps Morgan can help this group find that identity moving forward.
Then again, “this group” is a term we’re using fluidly. Left tackle Jason Peters, right tackle Germain Ifedi, and right guard James Daniels are about to become free agents. Center Sam Mustipher was 36th among 39 centers who qualified for grading on PFF’s scale. And new GM Ryan Poles left some strong hints suggesting that addressing the offensive line was a priority. Changes are coming to the trenches. Hiring Morgan to coach ’em up is just the start.
