Comparing Chicago Bears OC job to other potential NFL openings — and where it ranks

CHICAGO, Ill. - When Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus discussed the offensive coordinator vacancy that was just hours old last week, he already knew what he was looking for.

He preached three words to describe his ideal offensive coordinator: Teaching, innovation and creativity.

It was clear the next boss of the offense for the Bears will have the quarterback in mind, first and foremost.

"The offensive coordinator, any good coach, knows how to adjust to the quarterback," Eberflus said. "How many backups played this year?"

The new offensive coordinator will need to adjust to more than a backup. They’ll be expected to either work with Justin Fields and turn an intermittently explosive player into a consistently dynamic player, or try and mold a rookie into the first superstar quarterback the Bears have had in franchise history.

Oh, and also lift an offense that struggled this past season with a head coach that could have a hot seat entering the 2024 season.

"It needed to be better than where it was," Eberflus said.

Names are already starting to emerge.

The 49ers’ Klint Kubiak, the Seahawks’ Shane Waldron and Greg Olsen, and Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Cohen are just a few names that have reportedly been interviewed or will be interviewed for the Bears’ offensive coordinator role.

The good news is the Bears’ offensive coordinator vacancy isn’t a dismal one. There are plenty of chances for whoever takes the job to make their own imprint with the existing talent and staff members of their own choosing. Here’s how the Bears’ offensive coordinator opening stacks up against the rest of the openings around the league.

What’s the competition?

Seattle Seahawks

Atlanta Falcons

Las Vegas Raiders

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Carolina Panthers

New England Patriots

Los Angeles Chargers

Not every team has a vacant offensive coordinator position. However, all of these teams have head coach vacancies, meaning they could overhaul their entire staffs. If that happens, there will be seven more OC vacancies at the most.

There's a foundation in place on offense

The Bears, thanks to coordinated building on Ryan Poles’ part, have rebuilt their roster with skill players at every position.

Chicago has a No. 1 receiver in DJ Moore, a talented tight end in Cole Kmet, two young starting offensive linemen in Darnell Wright and Teven Jenkins, and another potential long-term solution at left tackle in Braxton Jones. That’s a foundation of players that’s more talented than a healthy amount of the league.

That also doesn’t mention the likes of rookie receiver Tyler Scott and Roschon Johnson, who figure to have a chance to be a part of the Bears offense for a while.

On the other side of the field, the Bears have a defense that grew into a unit that ranks in the top half of the league.

The Bears have the No. 1 overall pick, but it wasn’t because they were the worst team in the league like last season. That’s much more attractive than some spots like Washington and New England, which need talent in multiple areas.

There's still open room with the salary cap

Last year, the Bears had the most salary cap space in the league. They used it to sign starters on defense and a starter on the offensive line.

This offseason, the Bears have the eighth-most salary cap in the league according to Spotrac.com with $62.1 million of cap space to use. It’s fair to expect Poles to use that to retain or extend current players, but there’s room to make a splash or two.

That’s got to be music to any potential offensive coordinator’s ears.

There's fun to be had with draft capital

This may be where the Bears have some of the most flexibility.

The Bears don’t have a second-round pick this year as a result of the Montez Sweat trade, but they have two picks in the top 10: No. 1 and No. 2. The options are endless, and this goes beyond the No. 1 overall pick.

If a quarterback prospect falls to No. 9, which is possible considering how many top-rated prospects there are and how the Cardinals, Chargers and Titans don’t need to spend a high pick on a quarterback, the Bears could just as easily trade down with a team to recoup Day 2 compensation and perhaps more.

Whoever takes the Bears’ OC job will have the chance to add multiple top offensive prospects to the offense.

An unknown but exciting quarterback situation

This is a little tricky since this is very much a to-be-determined situation. The Bears could roll with Justin Fields for a fourth season, choose to take a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick or take a quarterback No.1 and keep both.

No stone will remain unturned for a franchise in the "information-gathering stage." Whatever the Bears choose, the offensive coordinator will inherit either one of the best quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft or Fields, a quarterback on his rookie deal that has shown growth this past season but will be on his third offensive coordinator in four years.

Either way, it’s far from the worst situation in the league. If the Bears didn’t have Fields, they’d take a quarterback at No. 1, and if the Bears didn’t have the No.1 pick they’d stick with Fields.

They have the choice to do either. That’s one of the best situations the Bears have had at quarterback arguably ever. The next offensive coordinator will be a part of the impending evaluations and decisions from Day 1.

An attractive philosophy

Eberflus was clear last week. He wants an offensive coordinator who can teach his scheme openly, bring new innovation to the Bears’ offense and can adjust to the players on the roster as well as the situation on the field.

It’s also clear that whoever takes this spot will have the chance to make it their own offense with little to no intrusion from Eberflus.

That’s how it ran with Getsy, and that’s how it should run with the next offensive coordinator, too.

There might be some pressure to produce immediately. Eberflus’s third season carries the expectation for more improvement. Namely, to compete for the NFC North crown and to win more than seven games.

If the Bears don’t do that in 2024, they might be in the market for a new coach. However, much like Vic Fangio in 2018, there’s a chance the Bears could retain a coordinator if the offense is productive and produces quality quarterback play.

The bottom line

The Bears’ vacancy should be attractive to plenty of candidates. There’s a foundation of talent in place and a clear way to add to that foundation via the draft and free agency.

Across the league, the Falcons and Seahawks might be better openings as they have more talent than the Bears. But, the Bears are much more attractive than the likes of Carolina and New England, which have so many needs this offseason.

In terms of teams that are ready to win now, the Bears’ offense has the potential to have success. That was evident in wins over Washington, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Detroit. The new offensive coordinator is inheriting a team with talent that also has the opportunity to shape that talent in their preferred way.