Bears have requested to interview former Seahawks OC Shane Waldron |
After one of the easiest decisions a coach can make, Luke Getsy has been fired from his OC role in Chicago after two less-than-stellar seasons. The move came after the Bears finished the season 7-10 but once again had one of their worst offensive showings at the wrong time against the Green Bay Packers in week 18.
Many fans felt Matt Eberflus could be joining him, but after a long meeting with Ryan Poles on Wednesday, the two came to a consensus of what needs to happen next, and Eberflus will be back for one more season. For him to even be allowed to play out his contract, this team needs to make the playoffs next season, and more importantly, Justin Fields needs to take that next step as a QB should he be around to do so. The Bears may also decide to go with Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall should they feel they have gone as far as they can with Fields. Whatever decision they choose to make, Eberflus will have an even tougher decision as he must find the perfect OC for next season. As expected, the Bears are going to do a thorough search for their next playcaller, and you are already hearing some names thrown out there as possible options. However, as of Thursday morning, the first real name has been dropped as the Bears are looking to interview Seahawks OC Shane Waldron for their vacant OC position. One day, after Eberflus said that offensive coaches were blowing up his phone to become the Bear's next OC, Waldron's name has been dropped, and with Pete Carroll getting the axe in Seattle, his assistants are going to be up for the taking. Waldron is no stranger to being an offensive coordinator, having held that title for the past three seasons with the Seahawks. It's that experience that Getsy lacked when he took the job, so this would instantly be an upgrade. Granted, Waldron could remain on the Seahawks staff depending on who the head coach is, but it is at least worth kicking the tires on him, especially after watching him get the most out of Geno Smith the past two seasons. That is what the hope would be from him should he come to Chicago, as Fields is a much better overall QB than Smith, so Waldron would look to maximize his talent. When you look at all of the OCs in the NFL today, Waldron doesn't garner the same recognition, but he certainly has paid his dues to get where he is today. The 44-year-old has been coaching since 2005 and has nearly two decades of coaching experience under his belt. It wasn't until 2008 that he got his first taste at the pros, but since then, he hasn't looked back, getting his start with the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick as the offensive quality control coach. Waldron has also paid his dues from an offensive coaching standpoint as he has coached TEs, WRs, and, most importantly, QBs. He has also held a passing game coordinator position, which could be huge for Fields and the entire offense. Just that versatility alone would be a massive win for the Bears as he would oversee the entire offense and have experience working individually with many of the skill positions. There is a lot more to get into on his resume, but that is for a different day, as the whole experience with different position groups is something this team could desperately use. Looking at his most recent stint with the Seahawks this season, you will see that the Waldron-led offense had some ups and downs as they finished 17th in the NFL in yards per game and 21 in points. Those aren't great numbers, but in 2022, they were 11th in yards and 12th in points, so you can at least see he has had better success with more weapons at his disposal. Even if the numbers are not what most fans want to see, the Seahawks offense was ranked 12th in DVOA offense. That means from every measure, the Seahawks offense is better than the statistics show, and they were often victims of tough breaks. Keep an eye on him throughout the OC hiring process.
