The Chicago Bears once again find themselves without a head coach to help young quarterback Caleb Williams take the next step. After posting a 14-32 record and six straight losses (which included a painful Hail Mary, blocked field goal, and bungled late-game clock management) after a 4-2 start, Matt Eberflus was let go.
The Bears’ next head coach not only needs to get buy-in from the locker room, but they also must be the best possible candidate when it comes to fostering Williams. Interim head coach and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will get the first crack at that task, as he appears to have helped Williams break out of his mid-season funk.
Reading the tea leaves, it seems as though the Bears will target either an offensive mind or someone with past head coaching experience. It just so happens that there is one coach on the market who can check both of those boxes.
According to Ian Rapoport, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator and former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury is high on the list of candidates to succeed Eberflus as Bears head coach. Kingsbury is joined by what Rapoport calls the “usual suspects” in Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson.
Bears interested in Kliff Kingsbury as next head coach
Kingsbury has helped transform the Commanders, as Jayden Daniels is an Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite on a Washington team that could easily make the playoffs as a Wild Card team one year after getting the No. 2 overall pick. Kingsbury also has past experience with Williams, as the two collaborated at USC.
As coach of the Cardinals, Kingsbury went 28-37-1 in charge. He’s also developed a reputation for performing much worse in the second half of seasons. However, he did take a team from the worst record in the league to a playoff birth in three seasons, and his nightmare 2022 featured starting QB Kyler Murray getting hurt.
If nothing else, Kingsbury will ensure that the Bears have productive quarterback play. Kingsbury has already helped Williams put up big numbers once before. With defensive stars like Montez Sweat, Jaylon Johnson, and Tremaine Edmunds, the defense has enough quality infrastructure to eschew a defensive coach.
Making sure Williams thrives should be the main goal of any coach Chicago hires. If the organization is convinced Kingsbury is the man for the job, why not let him take the reins and lead Caleb to greatness?
