Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus made a mention that his staff could see some changes.
Perhaps one such change could come by poaching a staffer from a division rival.
CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reports the Bears are requesting an interview with Jerry Gray, a Green Bay Packers defensive assistant:
Gray’s title with the Packers is Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach. And that Jones reports the Bears want to talk to Gray for an “undefined defensive coaching position” only adds to the intrigue. Frankly, I think it is fun to poke at a rival, ask to interview an assistant, and then be vague regarding what position they’re interviewing to get. Mystery gig, for the win! You spooked yet, Cheesedoodles?
Gray, 60, is a long-time defensive assistant. A first-round pick out of Texas in 1985, Gray didn’t begin his college career until 1995 when he was SMU’s Defensive Backs Coach. After that, Gray had stops with the Tennessee Oilers/Titans (1997-2000, 2011-13), Bills (2001-05), Washington Football Team (2006-09), Seahawks (2010), and Vikings (2014-19) before landing in Green Bay in 2020. That’s an ample amount of experience. And considering his experience coaching secondary players and the Bears’ need for a DBs Coach after James Rowe left to coach for his alma mater, I can imagine that is the position they are looking at Gray filling. For what it’s worth, Packers DBs have been feisty in recent years. Jaire Alexander is a stud, but a guy like Rasul Douglas coming out of nowhere is the kind of thing I find noteworthy. Hence, I have an interest in kicking the tires here.
One thing that makes this tricky as heck is that the Bears need to give Gray a promotion in order to hire him without handing over compensation to their rivals up north. Perhaps giving him an Assistant Head Coach title is a workaround. We’ll keep an eye on this situation as it develops.