Marcus Brady has been added to the Bears' OC interview list |
After it was reported that the Bears have zeroed in on a Sean McVay or Kyle Shannahan descendant to be their next offensive coordinator, you keep seeing more names added to the interview list. Some of them fit that type of style while some of them don't, which creates some uncertainty as to what direction this team is trying to go offensively.
Either way, the Bears know what they want out of this offense and will not continue interviewing once they feel they have the right guy. With a handful of names lined up to interview, the Bears added another one to their list as they requested to Interview Marcus Brady for their vacant OC Job. That makes six candidates for the Bears now as Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles remain busy. A long-time veteran in the coaching ranks, especially on the offensive side of the ball, Brady has spent the past two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles working with Jalen Hurts. That right there is worth nothing as Hurts and Justin Fields are very similar in terms of what they can do as a player, so why not look at a coordinator who has had success working with running QBs? Although not an offensive play-caller for the Eagles, Brady spent the past two seasons serving as an offensive consultant and, most recently, a senior offensive assistant. Before that, he called Indianapolis home and spent several years working up the coaching ranks under Frank Reich. During his time with Reich, Brady got his start as assistant quarterbacks coach (2018), then quarterbacks coach (2019-20), and finally offensive coordinator (2021-22). He also has a previous relationship with Matt Eberflus, as they were on the Reich staff together for several years. Having a coach you have a prior relationship with goes a long way, but Brady also has two years of offensive playcalling under his belt, which is a plus. Granted, the Colts offense wasn't as explosive as you would've thought, but they did have Jonathan Taylor led the NFL in rushing during the 2022 season, so Brady knows what it's like to ride the rushing attack. Before starting in the NFL, Brady began his coaching career North of the Border in the CFL, where he served as offensive coordinator for two teams — Montreal Alouettes (2012) and Toronto Argonauts (2013–17). Both offenses were some of the best in the league under Brady, so he knows a thing or two about calling plays. One thing to note about the CFL is that it is a pass-happy league, so not only did he rely on the run-calling plays in the NFL, but he also knows how to rely on the pass to get things done. Having that type of versatility is crucial, but spending time under an offensive mind like Reich before latching on with the Eagles staff is also huge, as Brady has some of the best offensive knowledge to give. The biggest question when it comes to Brady is what type of play-caller he will be and what style of offense he will run. Working for the Colts, they were more of a generic pro-style offense that turned into a run-heavy team during the 2022 season. Philadelphia was more of a mixed-bag type of system, as the success of Hurts dictated a lot of what they did offensively. Fields is an added dimension that only a few teams have, so having the experience working with a QB like Fields is enormous. No one is saying come to Chicago and turn Fields into something he's not, which is what Getsy sometimes tried to do. Instead, whoever takes over needs to realize that it may not be Fields under center. Should Chicago keep Fields, the new OC will be tasked with creating one of the more dynamic and complex offenses to utilize Fields's strengths. Should the Bears move on and draft Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, the new OC will be forced to create a system that best suits their new QB and everyone else getting on board. Regardless of what happens in the coming weeks, the Bears will have a tough decision to make, and they need to make sure they make the right decision.
