The Chi𒆙cago Bears are reportedly to hire Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator.
The news broke this morning, and when I say this morning, I mean 3:30 AM Pacific Time, so I was still fast asleep. Now that I’m a couple of cups of coffee into the day, I have some thoughts on the Bears’ new offensive coordinator.
Why I like the Shane Waldron hire
Shane Waldron was the first name on the Bears list, and the interview request came almost immediately after the end-of-season press conferen🌌ce at Hallas Hall. Eight candidates later, and Waldron still leads the pack in my book.
Waldron’s raw offensive rankings in Seattle this season (17th in scoring, 21st in yards) aren’t terrific. But the underlying met🍷rics paint a much more promising picture.
The Seahawks ranked 12th in total offensive DVOA this season and 6🍬th and 18th in passing and rushing, respectively. In Waldron’s three seasons as the play-caller in Seattle, the Seahawks passing offense DVOA has ranked 6th, 9th, and 9th. In 2021, Waldron’s offense ranked 7th in total DVOA, 9th in passing DVOA, and 5th in rushing DVOA against the second most challenging schedule of opponents.
According to FTN Fantasy, Seattle ranked 12th in the league in yards per drive in 2023 and 12th in points per drive. Seattle’s offense ranked third in the league in pace this season𒁃 (total seconds per play) this season.
Waldron’s coaching pedigree is a plus, too. He spent the last three seasons in that position in Seattle and previously worked under Sean McVay in Los Angeles as a passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Waldron also has the McVay connection (and Shanahan by association), play-calling experience, and a successful body of work in Seattle to put him among my favorite candi🌠dates from this hiring cycle.
Potential position coaches?
The Bears interviewed nine candidates for their offensive coordinator position. Many of them with ties to Shane Waldron and the Sean McVay coaching tree. Among the Bears interviews, here’s who has worked with Waldron in the past or makes sense as a possible fit somewhere on his staff.
ZAC ROBINSON, Rams QBs Coach and Pass Game Coordinator
Zac Robinson worked with Waldron in Los Angeles under McVay in 2019 and 2022. on the Bears’ list of candidates for their OC opening.
670 The Score’s Shane Riordan that Robinson was the runner-up to Waldron for the OC job. Robinson joining Waldron in Chicago as the QBs coach and passing game coordinator would be a home run for Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.
Now, I wouldn’t get your hopes up with that one. Convincing Robinson to leave Sean McVay and the Rams to come to Chicago in a lateral move is a tall ask. Robinson has OC interviews on the books with multiple teams, which would obviously be the jobs that Robinson would take. But, hey, we can dream, right?
Still, that particular position is the next critical hire for the Bears. Waldron will have to be the CEO of the entire offense, with Matt Eberflus doing the same on the defensive side of the ball. So, a solid passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach will be necessary, as they’ll work directly with Justin Fields (or someone else) daily. Actually, I would argue it’s equally important a hire as Waldron as the OC.
LIAM COEN, University of Kentucky Offensive Coordinator
Liam Coen ;could return to the NFL with his old colleague. Coen and Shane Waldron worked together in Los Angeles under McVay for three seasons and spent time on the UMass staff from 2014-15. Coen is the OC at Kentucky right now, and they paid him pretty well to leave the Rams after last season. So the Bears woul🍌d likely have to beat what Coen is making at Kentucky to lure him to Chicago.
THOMAS BROWN, Carolina Panthers Offensive Coordinator
Waldron worked with Thomas Brown in Los Angeles for one season in 2020. Brown was the running backs coach, while Waldron was the Rams’ passing game coordinator. Brown most recently worked as the Panthers OC last season under Frank Reich and interim coach Chris Tabor. But with Carolina eventually bringing in a new coaching staff, Brown will likely be looking for a new job.
No, Brown doesn’t check the quarterback box for the Bears. However, he would be a solid hire as a running back coach. Brown is highly respected around the league, especially by his former players.
MARCUS BRADY, Philadelphia Eagles Senior Offensive Assistant
Stepping outside of the Waldron/McVay tree, Marcus Brady was one of the nine candidates interviewed by the Bears and has 🃏worked with Matt Eberflus in the past in Indianapolis. This wouldn’t move the needle for me, but there’s enough connection to mention it as a possibility.
GREG OLSON, Seattle Seahawks QBs Coach
The Bears also interviewed Seahawks quarterbacks coach Greg Olson. Olson worked under Waldron in Seattle in 2023 and was with him in Los Angeles in 2017. As I said in the profile on Olson last week, Olson isn’t the sexiest name in the search. And he’s never really stuck anywhere (which will be a vital conversation in this process). Still, he’s got a plethora of results when it comes to eཧxtracting the most out of the quarterbacks and offenses that he works with.
Let’s talk about how the Waldron hire might affect roster construction decisions
Shane Waldron’s experience with Rams coach Sean McVay should bode well, as that system has proven to be effective in the NFL and is similar to what the Bears ran last season. However, it is not the same. (Luis: Thank goodness!) Shane Waldron’s offense in Seattle had some key differences that should be viewed as encouraging for Bears fans.
Let’s start with personnel groupings
Similar, right? The only sign💫ificant personnel difference between the two is the rate at which the Bears lined up in 21 personnel (2 RB, 1 TE, 2 WR) last seas꧒on:
So, more often than not, both teams leaned on three-wide receiver sets on first down last season. With that in mind, it is understandable to expect the Bears to spend at wide receiver (regardless of what they do at QB) this offseason. I imagine they’ll draft a wide receiver in the first two rounds and sign a wide receiver in free agency, minimally.
Schematic differences Waldron brings to the table
Here’s where the differences begin. The Bears were heavily reliant on the shotgun formation last season. They lined up in shotgun on 46 percent of their first down snaps. Comparatively, Seattle lined up in shotgun on 33 percent of their first down snaps. The Seahawks lined up in the singleback formation 33 percent of the time.
The Bears only lined up in singleback on first down 13 percent of the time. What type of play do we often see out of the singleback formation? It’s a play-action pass. The Seahawks used more play-action than the Bears last season. Twenty-two percent of Geno Smith’s pass attempts were play-action pass calls, while only 18 percent of Fields’ pass attempts were play-action calls. Both Smith and Fields had similar RPO call numbers.
Some other differences:
The Bears did pretty well, all things considered. The uncertainty in Chicago was a factor as much as the excitement of getting to coach the No. 1 pick in the draft, revive Justin Fields’ career, or perhaps be a successor to Matt Eberflus if things went sideways.
But they were able to cast a wide ne💮t for their OC search to replace Luke Getsy. ♏And they ended up coming away interviewing many people of the top available candidates.
There’s plenty of work to be done in building out the rest of the staff and, of course, the roster over the spring. But the Shane Waldron hire is a step in the right direction.
