With former Chicago Bears assistant Brandon Staley completing his meteoric rise from Division III defensive coordinator to NFL head coach in five years, the league’s hiring cycle is moving quickly.
The Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles are the only teams still working to hire a head coach, and staffs are being formed by the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, as well as by Staley’s with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The 38-year-old Staley, who the Bears hired as outside linebackers coach in 2017 — a position he held for two seasons, landed one of the most attractive openings as the Chargers have a solid roster and promising quarterback in Justin Herbert, who is entering his second season.
Staff movement is of importance to Matt Nagy and the Bears as they work to fill an undetermined number of positions. Defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano retired, and while that is the biggest role Nagy must fill, it might not be the only vacancy on that side of the ball.
Defensive line coach Jay Rodgers, who has been with the Bears since the beginning of the John Fox era in 2015, is coming out of contract and is set to become a free agent. If the Bears do not promote him to coordinator, there is ample speculation around the league he will land on Staley’s Chargers staff. One source suggested Rodgers could leave for Los Angeles whether he’s offered a promotion with the Bears or not.
Rodgers was named the league’s defensive line coach of the year following the 2018 season and has been held in high regard at Halas Hall, where he’s been considered one of the best position coaches on the staff.
While Rodgers is a potential in-house candidate for the coordinator role, so is safeties coach Sean Desai, who knows the system former coordinator Vic Fangio ran well. Desai is believed to at least be in the mix for a promotion, but his name has also been mentioned by league sources as a possibility with other new staffs. Outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino is the only Bears staff member that has been a coordinator previously.
Nagy is known to have developed a relationship with James Bettcher, the former defensive coordinator of the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals, and he could be in the mix of external candidates for the job. If Bettcher was hired, it would be worth wondering if he would prefer to bring a position coach or two with him.
The Athletic reported Monday morning that the Bears have requested an interview with Indianapolis Colts cornerbacks coach Jonathan Gannon, who is considered an up-and-comer. He’s worked in 4-3 schemes and it’s unknown if the Bears would consider schematic changes to their base front, although it wouldn’t necessarily be a huge change. The background of Gannon, who is close friends with Staley, is in the secondary — and he could potentially be fine sticking with a 3-4.
Gannon was brought to the Colts by Josh McDaniels, who then reneged on Indianapolis, but was later by Frank Reich. He could be on the radar for the Chargers as well as the Falcons, as he has a relationship with Smith having worked with him in Tennessee. Gannon is represented by agent Trace Armstrong, the former Bears defensive end, who also has Nagy as a client.
ESPN reported last week that Bears passing game coordinator Dave Ragone is a possibility for the Falcons with new head coach Arthur Smith. Ragone worked with Smith from 2011-2013 with the Tennessee Titans.
Losing Ragone would not necessarily create a vacancy for the Bears, as they have a host of coaches already associated with the offense and the passing game including Nagy, offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo. This past season, the Bears also employed former quarterback Henry Burris as a seasonal assistant.
