Shane Waldron has his first staff hire as Chicago Bears offensive coordinator. And it is 🐠a familiar face, too.
Kerry Joseph, who was the Seattle Seahawks’ Assistant Quarterbacks Coach with Waldron in Seattle, is now the Bears’ quarterbacks coach. and some background on the new guy:
UPDATE (6:50 P.M.) — It’s officially official, :
If you’ll recall, Joseph was among the former Seahawks assistants Waldr🍎on lined up for interviews after getting the Bears OC gig. This is what we had to say about Joseph 💫when his name came up as a Bears assistant coaching candidate:
Joseph was a defensive back for the Seahawks from 1998-01. But 🌼don’t let that NFL hi𒁏story throw you for a loop. Joseph has a ton of history on the offensive side of the ball.
After his time with 🉐the Seahawks, Joseph would go on to play quarterback in the Canadian Football League, where he’d be a Grey Cup Champion, CFL All-Star, and winner of the league’s Most Outstanding Player Award in 20⛦07. Joseph has experience coaching in college (McNeese State, Southeastern Louisiana) where he held Co-Offensive Coordinator, WRs Coach, Quarterbacks Coach, Running Backs Coach, and Interim Head Coach titles. In Seattle, Joseph has been an Offensive Assistant (2020), Assistant WRs Coach (2021), and Assistant QBs Coach (2022-present). Joseph could fill several different positions. If he gets the call to come to Chicago, I’d be curious to see where he slots.
I’m truly intrigued by Joseph’s history on both sides of the ball. Plus, I’m really into coaches who were recent players and have had high levels of success. It doesn’t work for all coaches and players. But I imagine it makes it easier to connect when you’ve played in the league and have had success as a player and have taken your talents into the coaching field.
Kerry Joseph’s hiring is an important first domino to fall for the Bears
I think Patrick nailed it the other day when pointing out that the importance of the quarterbacks coach hire was on par with the offensive coordinator hire. Those two coaches will be working in tandem in either (A) developing a rookie quarterback like Caleb Williams or (B) reviving Justin Fields’ career and tapping into his upside and potential. No matter how the cookie crumbles at the quarterback position, this will be no small task. And I hope they’re both up to the challenge. My hope is, that because these two have been working together for awhile, streamlined messaging and instruction will be helpful in the QB development process.
Joseph takes over that role for Andrew Janocko, who was among the offensive coaches sent packing after Luke Getsy was removed from his post as the team’s offensive coordinator. All these changes represent a change of the guard and a shift in philosophies. And while I’m not sure how it will all play out, I’m excited about the possibilities that come with fresh faces and new ideas.
However, one coach who won’t be joining the Seattle reunion is Sanjay Lal, has withdrawn his name from being a Bears offensive assistant coaching candidate. If I had to take a guess, I’d think he might be following new Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales. The two worked together previously in Seattle.
More Bears coaching news when it comes later.
