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Bears Hire Mark Helfrich As OC

By | at January 11, 2018 8:30 am

Matt Nagy‘s staff is starting to come together. The Bears have hired former Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich to be their new offensive coordinator, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Bears’ offensive scheme figures to be a mix of the west coast offense and the spread offense, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That’s roughly the style that Nagy employed in Kansas City. Mark Helfrich (vertical)

Helfrich has been out of football since he was fired by Oregon in November of 2016. In his first two seasons (2013-2014), the Ducks went a combined 24-4. Unfortunately, in 2015, his team failed to win ten games for the first time since 2007. In his final year, Oregon went 4-8 – the program’s worst record in a quarter century.

Helfrich’s resume includes the grooming of some solid young quarterbacks, including Marcus Mariota. In 2015, Helfrich and Mariota reached the College Football Playoff National Championship game. The now Titans QB also won the Heisman trophy.

Nagy and Helfrich are both represented by agent and former Bears defensive lineman Trace Armstrong, which could explain how the two men came together.

Nagy will be charged with turning around a franchise that has sagged in recent years. The Bears went 5-11 last year and have missed the playoffs in ten of the last eleven years. The Bears’ last playoff berth came was in 2010.

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Bears Notes: Bettcher, Hiestand, London

By | at January 10, 2018 7:17 pm

  • In-limbo Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher could be in consideration for a role with the Bears, reports Mike Jurecki of 98.7 FM (Twitter link), who reports Chicago’s brass would like to meet with Bettcher. One of nine candidates to replace Bruce Arians in Arizona, Bettcher could be without a job if the Cardinals go in a different direction. It’s unclear exactly what title Bettcher would hold with the Bears, especially since Chicago is expected to retain incumbent DC Vic Fangio.
  • The Bears are forging a reunion with Harry Hiestand, whom they’ve hired as their new offensive line coach, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Hiestand, 59, previously served as the Bears’ OL coach form 2005-09 before moving onto the Titans and Notre Dame, with whom he’s spent the past six seasons. Multiple teams were reportedly pursuing Hiestand, per Greg Gabriel of Pro Football Weekly (Twitter link), and the longtime coach had no intention of remaining in South Bend. In Chicago, Hiestand will work with an offensive line that ranked in the bottom half of the league in both adjusted sack rate and adjusted line yards.
  • Hiestand isn’t the only staff change the Bears made today, as they’ve also hired Charles London as their next running backs coach, tweets Alex Marvez of the Sporting News. London has spent time in Chicago before, as he was a offensive quality control coach for the club from 2007-09. After a brief stint with the Titans, London followed Bill O’Brien to Penn State and then to the Texans, where he coached for the past four years.
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NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/10/18

By | at January 10, 2018 5:53 pm

Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

  • CB Jonathon Mincy

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

New York Giants

New York Jets

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Bears Expected To Retain DC Vic Fangio

By | at January 9, 2018 8:54 pm

The Bears are now expected to retain defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to serve under new head coach Matt Nagy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).Vic Fangio (vertical)

Chicago had reportedly to preferred to keep the 59-year-old Fangio (who is 20 years Nagy’s senior) in the fold, but Fangio — who also interviewed for the Bears’ head coaching position earlier this month — drew interest from several clubs around the league. The Bears put on a “full court press” to retain Fangio, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel, hinting that Green Bay’s decision to hire Mike Pettine may have been a result of Fangio’s reported $2MM price tag.

If he does indeed return to the Bears, Fangio will once again lead a defensive unit that ranked just 24th in points allowed but 14th in defensive DVOA, an indication the club was better on a play-by-play basis than overall. Defenders such as defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, cornerback Kyle Fuller, and safety Adrian Amos posted excellent seasons under Fangio’s leadership, and Chicago could use some its $42MM in cap space and/or the eighth overall selection to bolster the defensive personnel even further.

As PFR’s 2018 NFL Coordinator Tracker indicates, every team that had a defensive coordinator vacancy at the conclusion of the regular season has now either retained its incumbent DC or hired an external candidate.

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Packers Eyeing Vic Fangio For DC

By | at January 9, 2018 10:33 am

The Packers are casting a wide net in their search for a new defensive coordinator, but one candidate stands at the top of their wish list. Vic Fangio is considered Green Bay’s top choice for the job, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Vic Fangio (vertical)

As of this writing, the Packers have yet to schedule an interview, but they’re pushing to set one up. Meanwhile, new Bears head coach Matt Nagy is working to keep the highly respected coordinator in Chicago. The two NFC North teams may have to slug it out over Fangio and it may result in a bidding war.

Fangio, 60 in August, has NFL coaching experience dating back to 1986 and defensive coordinator experience beginning in 1995. He is a big proponent of the 3-4 defense, making him a natural fit for the Packers.

As shown on PFR’s Defensive Coordinator Tracker, the Packers are also considering former Browns head coach Mike Pettine for the job along with three assistants already on staff Winston Moss, Darren Perry, and Joe Whitt.

 

 

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John Fox Plans To Continue Coaching

By | at January 8, 2018 7:15 pm

John Fox was ousted from his job in Chicago, but he’s hoping to stay in the NFL. Fox says that he is waiting for the dust to settle on various head coaching jobs to see if he can join someone’s staff (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9NEWS). John Fox (vertical)

Fox was a defensive assistant for many years before he became the head coach of the Panthers in 2002. All in all, he has spent the last 16 seasons as an NFL HC, but it’s unlikely that he will get another crack at running his own show this offseason. His connections and defensive acumen could get him a DC job, however.

As shown on PFR’s Defensive Coordinator Tracker, the Ravens and Packers are the only team with active searches at this time. More spots may open up for Fox once the Cardinals, Lions, and other teams decide on a head coach.

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Bears Want To Retain Vic Fangio

By | at January 8, 2018 1:16 pm

  • Nagy wants to retain Vic Fangio with the Bears, both Peter Schrager of NFL.com and the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs note (Twitter links). But Fangio has interest elsewhere — from the Bengals and Packers — and could opt to depart Chicago after being passed over for the HC job.
  • Chicago may also look to retain a few assistants who worked under John Fox. Quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone is a candidate to stay under Nagy despite the new HC making his NFL name by working with QBs. The Bears respected Ragone’s work with Trubisky, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets, and adds Nagy and Ragone share an agent. Biggs tweets tight ends coach Frank Smith and defensive line coach Jay Rodgers are candidates to stay put as well.
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Bears Hire Matt Nagy As Head Coach

By | at January 8, 2018 11:00 am

The Bears will hire Matt Nagy as their next head coach, according to Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. Nagy, the offensive coordinator of the Chiefs, became available over the weekend when Kansas City was eliminated from the playoffs by the Titans.

The hire is now official. Nagy will replace John Fox and become the Bears’ latest offensively geared HC, following Marc Trestman in that regard. Nagy was also in the running for the Colts’ head coaching job, interviewing on Sunday, and the Bears did not want to risk losing him. The 39-year-old offensive coordinator will now be tasked with reigniting the dormant Bears offense and putting young quarterback Mitch Trubisky on the right track.

Nagy also interviewed with the Bears on Sunday, and the storied franchise selected the second-year Chiefs OC out of a six-interview process. The Bears also met with Josh McDaniels, Pat Shurmur, George Edwards, John DeFilippo and incumbent DC Vic Fangio. This marks the latest Andy Reid disciple to land a coaching opportunity, following three-year Chiefs OC Doug Pederson — whom Nagy succeeded.

The Chiefs turned to Nagy late in the season to call plays, and the AFC West champions re-routed their season upon doing so. Kansas City won its final four games after losing six of seven during a midseason swoon. Although the Chiefs stumbled yet again in a home playoff contest, Nagy helped coax breakout slates from Tyreek Hill and rushing champion Kareem Hunt.

Nagy will also serve as the Bears’ play-caller, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). However, his first big decision will be in addressing who oversees Chicago’s defense. Mortensn reports the franchise would like to retain Fangio, but his contract expires at midnight. The veteran DC also has received significant interest elsewhere and could depart for another opportunity.

This also narrows McDaniels’ options. The perennial HC candidate has interviewed in Indianapolis and New York. ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano and NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran (Twitter link) point McDaniels as being a likelier fit with the Colts than Giants.

Alex Smith also had a career-best season under Nagy’s guidance, and the Bears will team the young coach with Trubisky after centering their search around offensive-minded leaders. Nagy was a Trubisky fan when the North Carolina product declared for the draft, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), and he’ll have the biggest say in attempting to take the raw passer to the next level in his development.

The Chiefs ranked fifth in total offense under Nagy. He’ll now helm a Bears attack that finished 30th. Affected by multiple injuries at wide receiver, the Bears relied on their ground game. Their new HC figures to attempt to augment the team’s aerial corps. Trubisky himself finished with seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions, completing 59 percent of his passes while going 4-8 as a starter.

The Bears have not produced a winning season since the 2012 campaign under Lovie Smith, and they’ll turn to Nagy to right the ship.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report.

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2018 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker

By | at January 7, 2018 3:25 pm

While at least six NFL teams are making head coaching changes this offseason, the number of clubs replacing offensive and/or defensive coordinators figures to be much higher than that. In addition to all those teams hiring new head coaches, who may want to bring in their own assistants, several clubs also figure to make changes on one side of the ball or the other after getting disappointing results in 2017. And, of course, the teams whose coordinators landed head coaching jobs will need to replace them.

With reports circulating on potential candidates, interview requests, and actual meetings, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the latest updates on teams hiring new offensive and/or defensive coordinators. This post, which will be updated daily, can be found under the “PFR Features” menu on the right-hand side of the site.

Updated 3-6-18 (5:53pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Harold Goodwin)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Rick Dennison)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Mike Shula)

  • Norv Turner, former offensive coordinator (Vikings): Hired

Chicago Bears (Out: Dowell Loggains)

  • Mark Helfrich, former head coach (Oregon): Hired

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Bill Lazor, interim offensive coordinator (Bengals): Retained

Cleveland Browns (vacant)

Denver Broncos

  • Bill Musgrave, interim offensive coordinator (Broncos): Retained

Detroit Lions

  • Jim Bob Cooter, offensive coordinator (Lions): Retained

Green Bay Packers (Out: Edgar Bennett)

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Rob Chudzinski)

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Matt Nagy)

  • Eric Bieniemy, running backs coach (Chiefs): Promoted

Miami Dolphins (Out: Clyde Christensen)

  • Dowell Loggains, former offensive coordinator (Bears): Hired

Minnesota Vikings (Out: Pat Shurmur)

New York Giants (Out: Mike Sullivan)

New York Jets (Out: John Morton)

Oakland Raiders (Out: Todd Downing)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Frank Reich)

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Todd Haley)

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Darrell Bevell)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Terry Robiskie)

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: James Bettcher)

  • Al Holcomb, linebackers coach (Panthers): Hired

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Dean Pees)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Steve Wilks)

  • Eric Washington, defensive line coach (Panthers): Promoted

Chicago Bears

  • Vic Fangio, defensive coordinator (Bears): Retained

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Paul Guenther)

Detroit Lions

  • Paul Pasqualoni, defensive line coach (Boston College): Hired

Green Bay Packers (Out: Dom Capers)

Houston Texans (Out: Mike Vrabel)

  • Romeo Crennel, assistant head coach (Texans): Hired

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Ted Monachino)

  • Matt Eberflus, linebackers coach (Cowboys): Hired

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Gus Bradley, defensive coordinator (Chargers): Retained

New England Patriots (Out: Matt Patricia)

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders (Out: John Pagano)

  • Paul Guenther, defensive coordinator (Bengals): Hired

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Kris Richard)

  • Ken Norton Jr., former defensive coordinator (Raiders): Hired

Tennessee Titans (Out: Dick LeBeau)

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Packers, Bengals Interested In Vic Fangio

By | at January 7, 2018 10:17 am

Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is receiving head coaching consideration from Chicago — he interviewed for that position on January 3 — and he is also drawing plenty of interest as a defensive coordinator elsewhere. Per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, at least the Bengals and the Packers wants to talk to Fangio about their DC vacancies.

Vic Fangio (vertical)

Biggs reports that Chicago recently denied the Bengals’ request to interview Fangio, but as of Tuesday, Fangio will be able to meet with whomever he wants, as both his three-year contract with the Bears and the end-of-season grace period that prevents coaches from bolting immediately without permission will have expired.

We learned yesterday that John DeFilippo would be open to retaining Fangio if DeFilippo is hired to become the next Bears head coach, and Biggs suggests that the Bears would like to keep Fangio as DC regardless of whom they hire as a head coach. Nonetheless, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune tweets that there are “significant doubts” as to whether Fangio would want to stay in Chicago under such a scenario.

The Bears have already interviewed a number of head coaching candidates and are interviewing Chiefs OC Matt Nagy today (see our up-to-date head coaching tracker here). But even if Fangio is open to remaining with the Bears as a DC, it could be difficult for Chicago to keep him if their head coaching search stretches on too long, as he is likely to have opportunities to accept or decline in the near future. Nagy, though, is the last-known candidate for the Bears to interview, as it does not appear as if they will get a shot at the highly-coveted Steve Wilks.

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