After the end-of-game debacle on Thanksgiving Day, the Chicago Bears decided to fire Matt Eberflus on Friday. It has been a month of questionable decisions, but Thursday was the last straw. From the postgame interviews, it seemed the head coach had lost the locker room, and a change needed to be made. There are many obvious candidates to fill the position. Ben Johnson, Frank Smith, and Bobby Slowik are all offensive coordinators who are high on many lists. However, we’ve seen many head coaching searches uncover hidden gems no one expected. Here are three dark horse candidates for the Chicago Bears head coaching position.
1. Kevin Stefanski
Okay so this one is predicated on the fact the Cleveland Browns decide to move on from their head coach. There have been rumors that the Browns have underperformed this season. If there are any inklings the Browns would want to move on, the Chicago Bears should aggressively pursue him. First, he was named Coach of the Year twice, in 2020 and 2023. Last season, he coached the team through quarterback injuries and resurrected Joe Flacco’s career. There’s less guesswork with someone like Stefanski. There is plenty of data on how he does as a head coach, and most of it is good.
Furthermore, Stefanski is familiar with the division. Before his time in Cleveland, he was the offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings. While some may point to struggles in Cleveland, I’m not sure it is entirely his fault. There’s not a coach in the league who could have prepared for the Deshaun Watson situation. We’ve seen coaches get traded for draft capital as well. At the very least, the Chicago Bears should inquire about his availability.
2. Jesse Minter
We aren’t talking about the job Minter is doing with the Los Angeles Chargers defense. Under Brandon Staley, this unit was one of the worst in the NFL. They hemorrhaged points and yards. The Chargers only allow 15.9 points per game this season after allowing 23.4 in 2023. Minter is doing this with largely the same group of players. His scheme is proving to be effective. This isn’t the first time he has coached a dominant unit. At Michigan, he coordinated a national championship-winning defense that was the best in the nation.
Everyone is expecting the Chicago Bears to go for an offensive-minded coach. This seems like a sound strategy, as developing Caleb Williams is the most important thing for this franchise. However, completely ignoring any defensive-minded coaches is not a good strategy either. It isn’t clear whether Minter is looking for a head coaching gig, but the Bears should interview him. If he could get a dominant defense back in Chicago, it would take a lot of pressure off Williams and the offense.
3. Josh McCown
Over the past two seasons, McCown has been a name to watch in the coaching world. He has limited experience as a coach, but that hasn’t stopped teams from interviewing him. Currently, he is the quarterbacks coach with the Minnesota Vikings after spending last season in Carolina in the same position. He also has some history with the Chicago Bears. In 2013, he came in for a few weeks when Jay Cutler was injured. He made the most of his opportunity. McCown became the first Chicago Bears quarterback to throw for over 300 yards in three consecutive games.
This would be a risky hire for the Chicago Bears. He has limited coaching experience, and there would likely be a lot of criticism for hiring an unproven candidate. However, I am in the camp that inexperience does not always mean bad. He might be the one to galvanize the tea,m and his experience as an NFL quarterback could help Williams. Even if it isn’t with the Bears, it will be interesting to see if McCown gets any looks this offseason.
The Chicago Bears Have To Get This Right
This has been an endless cycle for the Chicago Bears. They draft a young quarterback but keep the head coach. The head coach does not perform and gets fired. Since a new head coach usually means a full staff turnover, the new quarterback has to learn a whole new system. The quarterback struggles, and the process starts all over again. Because of the trade with the Carolina Panthers, the Bears have been given a gift. They have to get this one right.
