Joe Brady, LSU Tigers. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
As Matt Nagy moves closer and closer to the hot seat, here are five candidates to be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears.
To the surprise of absolutely no one who saw their 5-1 record for the flimsiness that it was, the Chicago Bears lost their third straight game on Sunday. The 24-17 setback to the Tennessee Titans was not that close, as Matt Nagy’s offense picked up garbage time yardage and scored 17 fourth quarter points.
The idea of Nagy giving up play-calling has surfaced in recent weeks. After Sunday’s game, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, he repeated a crutch phrase.
“We’ve gotta make sure, whatever those issues are, we just at some point in time get this thing back on track,” he said. “And that’s my job as the head coach to do that.
“And, trust me, I’m gonna look at everything.”
Looking at everything should include ceding play-calling duties to someone else. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and passing game coordinator Dave Ragone stand out as candidates, since it really can’t get much worse. The Bears not only scored all 17 of their points in the fourth quarter on Sunday, but 155 of their 375 yards came after they were down 24-3. Of the 40 points they’ve scored over the last two games, 27 have come in the fourth quarter.
At 5-4 now, the Bears need to beat the Minnesota Vikings next Monday night to avoid going into their bye week on a four-game losing streak and stay above .500. The Vikings have won two games in a row, so they may not be the pushover they once looked like they might be by this point.
The shine is off Nagy as an offensive mind, and general manager Ryan Pace is getting closer to the hot seat too.
As things move toward firing Nagy after three seasons, here are five candidates to be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears.
5 candidates to replace Matt Nagy as Bears head coach
5. Joe Brady, Carolina Panthers Offensive Coordinator
Brady parlayed his success as the passing game coordinator at LSU with Joe Burrow in 2019 into a return to the NFL, as he’s in his first season as Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator. Despite being without running back Christian McCaffrey for six games, the Panthers are top-10 in the league in yards per play and top-12 in passing yards per game.
Brady is just 31 years old, but he learned at feet of Sean Payton for two seasons as an offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints before heading to LSU. His ability to use the pieces the Panthers have had available, and recently coming through on his preseason profession that wide receiver Curtis Samuel would have an important role, should advance him quickly as a head coaching candidate.
Nagy may think of himself as an offensive genius, but he’s not. Brady helped turn Burrow into a No. 1 pick, and he surely had a hand in the Panthers signing Teddy Bridgewater after being with him in New Orleans. Adaptable and creative without being too cute, Brady is just the kind of coach the Bears should target to replace Nagy.