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Shane Waldron, Eric Washington hires seem to answer key questions about Matt Eberflus originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
When general manager Ryan Poles and president and CEO Kevin Warren elected to retain Bears head coach Matt Eberflus for a third season, it raised legitimate concerns about what was on the immediate horizon for the Bears.
The first questions Eberflus would have to answer revolved around the Bears’ open defensive and offensive coordinator positions.
After defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned and running backs coach David Walker was fired, Eberflus’ ability to vet and hire the proper candidates came into question.
There was also reason to believe Eberflus would have trouble attracting the best possible candidates for these critical roles, given his rocky first two seasons in Chicago and the likelihood that he would be entering a must-win season in 2024.
But a little over two weeks after the Bears elected to retain Eberflus, the head coach filled both coordinator roles with premiere candidates, showing that he can identify top talent and that his seat might not be that warm entering 2024.
First, the Bears hired Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator to replace Luke Getsy.
Waldron, who has spent the last three seasons as the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator, was only available because Pete Carroll surprisingly stepped down as head coach. Waldron had other options but chose to come to Chicago and embrace the challenge of elevated quarterback Justin Fields or developing presumptive No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
In Waldron, the Bears get a brilliant offensive mind from the Shanahan tree (Sean McVay branch). Waldron has worked for Bill Belichick, Mike Shanahan, McVay, and Carroll. He is adaptable and innovative, has play-called experience, and has worked with several different quarterbacks, including Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff, Russell Wilson, and Geno Smith.
“I think he’s an elite play-caller,” an NFC scout whose team has faced…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/shane-waldron-eric-washington-hires-213429819.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2024-01-27 21:34:29
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