The Chicago Bears haven’t had any stability at head coach since Lovie Smith led the franchise from 2004-12, and they’re embarking on yet another coaching search this offseason after a disastrous end to Matt Eberflus’ tenure with the team.
Who Will Ryan Poles Take a Look at for the Bears’ Head Coach Opening?
General manager Ryan Poles chose to offer fans some optimism regarding the hunt for a new leader, suggesting that the Bears will be interviewing some coaches that may not be at the forefront of fans’ minds (or wishlists).
Poles addressing the head coaching search: "There's going to be some names that you don't expect, that will surprise you."
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) January 7, 2025
Taking that idea and running with it, three-time Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long — one of the best Bears players of the recent past — asked fans on social media who their ideal candidate to lead the team would be. He then put forward his own dream candidate, suggesting the team should go hard after Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.
If we’re going to the play the “you’ll be surprised by who ends up being the bears HC game” what is your dream coachsurprise?
Out of the folks we’re not currently talking about mine is Sean McVay
— kyle (@Ky1eLong) January 8, 2025
Considering that the team needs to focus its attention on and divert its resources toward Caleb Williams’ development, an offensive-minded coach like McVay could change the franchise’s fortunes in short order.
McVay or Not, Bears Must Hire QB Whisperer as Next HC
On the surface, Caleb Williams’ rookie season looks like a moderate success. He threw for 3,541 yards on a 62.5% completion rate, tallying a 20:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Though he led the league in sacks taken (68), he still posted a decent 87.8 passer rating, which ranked ahead of notable signal-callers like C.J. Stroud, Trevor Lawrence, and Dak Prescott.
However, according to PFN’s QB+ metric — a cumulative metric that weighs everything from third-down conversion rate to success when pressured — Williams finished the season ranked 33rd among all quarterbacks who attempted at least 200 passes. His 63.6 score ranked behind Daniel Jones (64.9) and Jameis Winston (66.1). That’s not exactly great company to be keeping.
“Caleb Williams’ rookie season ended on a relatively high point in Week 18 with a win over the Packers. It was also an above-average performance for him this season, but since it was a C, that says more about the rest of the season than Week 18,” explained Ben Rolfe.
“On the season, Williams’ numbers are not good, but they’re not as bad as we saw from [Bryce] Young in his rookie year. Williams finished with a -0.05 EPA/DB (31st), a 30.5 third-down conversion rate (36th), and 5.5 nYPA (37th). He was better in relative terms from a clean pocket, ranking 24th (0.18 EPA/DB) than when pressured, ranking 32nd (-0.48 EPA/DB).”
A change of coaching staff will almost certainly alter the course of Williams’ young career in one way or another. It took some time, but we eventually saw a change in coach benefit Young. Another comparison for Williams is Lawrence, who had a terrible rookie year under Urban Meyer. He improved in his first year with Doug Pederson before declining ever since.
Whether it’s an established head coach like McVay, or a noted offensive guru like Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson, the Bears must give Williams some stability in terms of scheme and play-caller heading into the USC product’s sophomore season. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to trust Kyle Long and at least ask if the Rams are willing to part with their head coach.