Chicago Bears Head Coach Candidate Power Rankings: January 8, 2025 ...Middle East

The Chicago Bears’ search for their next head coach is underway, interview requests have been made, some interviews are scheduled, and I’m well into my head coaching candidate profiles here at Bleacher Nation. As I’ve been working through those and reading and listening to the conversation surrounding the search and the candidates, I’ve begun to move names up and down the board on the whiteboard in my office, so I figured, why not share them here?

Here are a few rules to keep in mind when digesting these rankings:

Chicago Bears Head Coach Candidate Power Rankings: January 8, 2025

Note: Each ranking will contain the coach, some background, some pros and cons, and one big question that should be atop the list of interview questions when each candidate meets with the brass at Halas Hall.

1. Ben Johnson — Offensive Coordinator, Detroit Lions

Previous Ranking: 1

The Short and Sweet

When it comes to Ben Johnson, only one question remains: can he be the offensive mind and the leader they need? Johnson is the clear-cut top offensive head coaching candidate, and the Bears need someone to lead the development of Caleb Williams. Johnson is as good a candidate as any, and if he wanted the job last offseason, he would already be leading the development of another quarterback from Williams’ draft class. Is this the landing spot Johnson has held out for?

Pros

Cons

One Big Question: Can Ben Johnson be the offensive mastermind the Bears need and the “leader of men” they want?

If I asked you whether or not you would take Dan Campbell as the next head coach of the Chicago Bears, I’m willing to wager my salary (and then some), and the answer would be yes. The logic would be that he is a leader and a motivator. So why do we assume his offensive coordinator, who has worked with him for years, wouldn’t share some of that fire and presence?

If you’re going to give a head coach candidate a chance to answer the question of whether or not they can be the offensive mastermind and leader of men the franchise needs and desires, who better than Johnson, who’s proven the first half and comes from the poster child for the latter?

Full Profile: Don’t Screw It Up: Ben Johnson Is the Offensive Innovator That’s Always Eluded Chicago

2. Joe Brady — Offensive Coordinator, Buffalo Bills

Previous Ranking: 5

I made it clear that Ben Johnson was my top choice for the Chicago Bears head coaching vacancy when I profiled him recently, so I won’t pretend throughout this series that I prefer another coach to the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator. However, I will say that Buffalo Bills Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady is a close second. Perhaps even a 1B.

His work with Josh Allen and the Bills offense in the last year-plus since he replaced former OC Ken Dorsey has been sensational, and he’s helped Allen become the most efficient version of himself and an MVP contender, creating balance in the offense and boosting the rushing attack in Buffalo.

Pros

Cons

One Big Question: Is Joe Brady a beneficiary of the talent he’s worked with, or is it the other way around?

When I look at Joe Brady’s success, you can’t miss that he’s worked with some incredible offensive weapons. So, it’s fair to ask whether he was the beneficiary of elite playmakers in his offenses or whether he helped elevate these talented playmakers.

Here are a few things to consider:

Then there’s Josh Allen, who has long been an elite NFL quarterback but is enjoying his best season under Brady. Allen is also on pace to have one of the lowest passing attempt totals of his career and one of his lowest rushing attempt totals. Josh Allen has never been more efficient than he is this year under Brady.

The answer is that Brady—like many other offensive coordinators turned head coaches—has experienced the luxury of working with elite offensive playmakers. But he’s elevated those players’ outputs at every stop.

That is a scenario I would be thrilled with if he could do the same with Caleb Williams in Chicago.

Full Profile: Joe Brady is a Strong Candidate

3. Aaron Glenn — Defensive Coordinator, Detroit Lions

Previous Ranking: 12

The Detroit Lions’ rise as Super Bowl favorites and plenty of credit should go to their defense, which has become a top-five unit under defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. In his fourth year, Glenn’s leadership and extensive NFL experience—spanning roles as a Pro Bowl cornerback, scout, and coach—make him a strong candidate for head coaching positions. While he may need a solid plan for selecting an offensive coordinator, Glenn’s role in the Lions’ transformation from a struggling team to a championship contender further bolsters his credentials.

Pros

Cons

One Big Question: Could Aaron Glenn dip into the Lions’ offensive pool?

If Glenn were to land the Bears’ head coaching gig, he would need to land an offensive coordinator who could be tasked with Caleb Williams’ development. Would Detroit Lions quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell be interested in joining Glenn in Chicago as his offensive coordinator?

Brunell has served as the Lions’ quarterbacks coach for the past four seasons and has worked closely with Jared Goff during his renaissance in Detroit. Brunell has led Ben Johnson’s quarterback’s room during Johnson’s time in Detroit and has a firm knowledge of his system and design, working with Goff—during the most successful stretch of his career—and Matthew Stafford.

Like Glenn, Brunell boasts a lengthy and successful playing career, with Brunell playing more than a decade as a quarterback, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to two AFC Central division titles and four playoff appearances, and guiding Washington to the NFC East crown in 2005. Brunell was also the quarterback of the 1991 National Championship Washington Huskies team and appeared in three Rose Bowls.

Tanner Engstrand (passing game coordinator) and Antwaan Randle El (wide receivers) are two other names in the Detroit offensive room that could interest the Bears if Glenn lands the head coaching job.

In Glenn’s interview, the question of who he could bring with him from that successful offensive group would be near the top of the list for me.

Full Profile: Aaron Glenn Tops My List of Non-Offensive Candidates

4. Pete Carroll — Special Advisor, Seattle Seahawks

Previous Ranking: NR

Go ahead. Call me crazy. Pete Carroll is the pick if we get this far down the list. Read: if we get this far down the list. That’s a massive if.

The Short and Sweet

Pete Carroll will get an interview with the Chicago Bears this week after spending one season as an advisor for the Seattle Seahawks following the end of his decade-plus run as their head coach. If your first thought is that Carroll is up there in age, and this doesn’t seem like a great fit, timing-wise, I’m with you.

That said, Carroll’s resume is too strong to discard his candidacy at face value. I believe there’s a particular scenario in which Carroll could be the right hire, although I think it would come with more risk than other candidates despite some assuming Carroll should be labeled a “safe” hire.

Pros

Cons

One Big Question: What would the Pete Carroll succession plan look like?

If the Bears wanted to bring in Carroll, who checks many boxes, there would have to be a succession plan. That would be atop my list of questions if I’m running that interview.

Carrol was the architect of the ‘Legion of Boom’ defense in Seattle, and he helped turn Russell Wilson into a perennial All-Pro candidate in Seattle. He won a Super Bowl in Seattle and a National Championship at Caleb Williams’ alma mater, USC. He’s a player’s coach who has created winning cultures for decades.

I completely understand the appeal of hiring Carroll with the intent of maximizing the immediate success of the roster they currently have. But Carroll would be here for a good time, not a long time. That said, if the Bears were to try and cash in on Carroll’s wide-ranging abilities, they would need a succession plan.

Carroll coming in, creating a winning culture, maximizing the talent on the defensive side of the ball, and bringing in a competent OC and offensive staff to shepherd Williams from top prospect to top quarterback in the next couple of years is appealing. Still, I would feel most comfortable with this hire if Carroll has a clear plan to pass the torch to someone on his staff in a couple of years when he’s ready to hang it up for the sake of continuity rather than the Bears thanking him for his services and starting this process all over again.

That’s much easier said than done, though.

Full Profile: When It Comes to Résumés, Pete Carroll’s is as Strong as Any

5. Liam Coen — Offensive Coordinator, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Previous Ranking: 4

Coen was a candidate to lead the Bears offense this offseason and a former Sean McVay disciple. Coen took the Bucs’ OC job this offseason, and he’s helped the Bucs become the league’s fourth-highest-scoring offense this season at 28.1 points per game with Baker Mayfield under center. Tampa Bay ranks 6th in EPA, 5th in EPA/Pass, and 11th in EPA/Rush this season.

Pros

Cons

One Big Question: What makes Liam Coen different than Shane Waldron and Thomas Brown?

Like his predecessor in Tampa Bay, Dave Canales, Coen worked under and was influenced by now-departed Bears OC Shane Waldron. Waldron was with the Rams from 2017-20, serving as the tight ends coach, quarterbacks coach, and passing game coordinator.

I’m sure there will be some parallels between Waldron and Coen, which Coen mentioned during his opening press conference in Tampa Bay. He said that Dave Canales—who worked under Waldron in Seattle—and his offenses share some features.

“I think it will be actually very similar in terms of some of the terminology,” Coen said. “The run game I think will be really similar in some ways. Formations – some ‘daffy’ might be ‘dixie’ or ‘double’ might be ‘deuce’ – some of those things may be a little different, but at the end of the day, those guys [know], ‘Okay, well that was just this.’ They can put those things together.

“The protections I’ve got to believe will be very similar in some ways. Dave was with Shane Waldron in Seattle, so there are a lot of similarities there. I don’t expect an overly difficult learning curve, but obviously, we’ll want to be able to put our stamp on things and be able to do things our way, as well.”

But by all accounts, Coen is regarded as a more dynamic and creative play-caller than Waldron and has a reputation for creative play design and incorporating more gadget concepts. Coen is more aggressive than Waldron and pushes the tempo more than his former colleague.

While there will be some shared concepts and principles, Coen seems to bring a more dynamic and adaptable design to the table than Waldron did.

Full Profile: Liam Coen Is What the Bears Wanted in Shane Waldron

Just Missed

6. Mike Vrabel — Free Agent

7. Zac Robinson — Offensive Coordinator, Atlanta Falcons

8. Todd Monken — Offensive Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens

9. Drew Petzing — Offensive Coordinator, Arizona Cardinals

10. Brian Flores — Defensive Coordinator, Minnesota Vikings

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