On paper, the Bears have clearly upgraded their coaching staff this offseason.
New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron is a highly-respected play-caller and schemer. He adapts well to his personnel, has a history of creating explosive plays, and is credited with helping Geno Smith resurrect his career.
On the surface, there's no doubt the Bears got better at offensive coordinator this offseason.
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Waldron filled out his staff with a group of coaches known for their ability to identify and develop talent. The Bears and Waldron finished off the new-look offensive staff Tuesday by hiring Thomas Brown as pass game coordinator and Chad Morton as the running backs coach. Morton and Brown join new quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph and new wide receivers coach Chris Beatty. Offensive line coach Chris Morgan and tight ends coach Jim Dray were retained from Luke Getys' staff.
Bears' new offensive staff:
OC: Shane Waldron
QB: Kerry Joseph
RB: Chad Morton
WR: Chris Beatty
PGC: Thomas Brown
OL: Chris Morgan
TE: Jim Dray
CHICAGO BEARS
Talking to people around the league about Waldron, Brown, and Beatty, the unanimous belief is that the Bears stocked up on innovative coaches who are adept at developing young players and are great communicators.
The players that new Bears staff members have developed include DJ Moore, Jordan Addison, Mike Williams, Zach Charbonnet, Kenneth Walker, and Chris Carson. That list doesn't include Smith, Russell Wilson, and Jared Goff, who each improved under Waldron's (and Sean McVay's, in Goff's case) watch.
On paper, it's a staff that looks built to elevate a roster filled with young talent and, most importantly, foster the development of the franchise's future at quarterback -- be it Justin Fields or Caleb Williams.
But the shiny new staff won't make much of an impact if the Bears don't get that quarterback question right.
You can stack your staff with the best teachers, communicators, and schemers you can find, but eventually, you'll hit a hard ceiling if the offense's triggerman isn't up to snuff.
The Bears' new staff, specifically Waldron and Joseph, will spend the next month pouring over tape of Fields to see what they have in him and give their analysis to general manager Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus. They'll play a critical role in shaping the Bears' path forward, and that path will ultimately dictate whether this new-look staff succeeds in the way their collective resumes suggest.
Waldron was a home-run hire. He will undoubtedly be an upgrade over Luke Getsy. He has surrounded himself with high-quality coaches with long track records of success.
The Bears won the hiring process. It's a late January Super Bowl victory for a franchise hoping they are on the cusp of becoming perennial contenders.
There's reason to be excited about the present and future of the Bears' offense with this new staff. But it will only live up to the hype if the Bears finally get the question they've missed for the last 40 years right.