The Bears’ choice for offensive coordinator was, with perhaps one exception, the most accomplished candidate they were linked to in the last week and a half.
Shane Waldron, whose three-year tenure as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator ended when the team and coach Pete Carroll surprisingly parted ways this month, will replace Luke Getsy. The sides finalized his agreement Monday and he was named to the job Tuesday.
Waldron will help the Bears navigate a major decision at quarterback this offseason: whether to draft USC star Caleb Williams first overall or let Justin Fields run his third offense in four NFL seasons.
Under Waldron, Seahawks quarterbacks finished fourth in the NFL in passer rating in 2021 and 2022. Russell Wilson went to his ninth Pro Bowl in 2021 and Geno Smith to his first in 2022. That’s as many Pro Bowl quarterbacks as the Bears can claim since 1964.
Smith finished among the top five in the NFL in touchdown passes, passer rating and completion percentage en route to winning comeback player of the year in 2022. He was about league average in 2023, however, finishing 16th in passing yards, 17th in passer rating and 18th in completion percentage.
In every season he has served as an NFL assistant — with the Patriots (2008-09), Washington (2016), Rams (2017-20) and Seahawks (2021-23) — Waldron’s teams have had a higher passer rating than the Bears.
The Seahawks were 11th in yards per play and 17th in points this season. The Bears were 22nd and 18th, respectively.
In 2021-23, the Seahawks had the fifth-best rate of explosive plays on runs and the ninth-best on passes. That’s what the Bears were looking for.
‘‘You have to be able to have the innovation to really look at the players that you have and be able to help, enhance and put those guys in position to succeed and to get explosives,’’ coach Matt Eberflus said two weeks ago.
Waldron, 44, worked for Rams coach Sean McVay in 2017-20 before joining the Seahawks. He is a disciple of the Mike Shanahan branch of the West Coast offense, which features zone runs, play-action and, lately, pre-snap motions. That scheme is similar to what Getsy ran in two uneven seasons.
Many of the Bears’ nine known candidates came from the same tree. The Bears also were linked to Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson, Seahawks quarterbacks coach Greg Olson, 49ers assistant Klint Kubiak, Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Eagles senior offensive assistant Marcus Brady, former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and former Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Roman helped Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson win NFL MVP in 2019. Kingsbury never has been an NFL coordinator before, but he called plays as the Cardinals’ coach in 2019-22. More notably, he was Williams’ quarterbacks coach at USC last season.
Hiring Kingsbury to run the offense would have telegraphed the Bears’ decision. The Waldron hire doesn’t, though he is connected to Williams through the QB Collective, a pro-style quarterback training group.
Waldron’s experience gives him a leg up on Getsy, a first-time NFL coordinator. Now he’ll need to help the Bears fill holes coaching quarterbacks, running backs and receivers.
Waldron could bring Olson — not to be confused with the former Bears tight end — with him. Brown was the Rams’ running backs coach alongside Waldron in 2020 but might have greater opportunities ahead. He interviewed for the Titans’ head-coaching job Monday.
Seahawks offensive line coach Andy Dickerson attended Tufts University with Waldron, but the Bears already have retained offensive line coach Chris Morgan and tight ends coach Jim Dray for 2024.
Eberflus has yet to hire a defensive coordinator, though he figures to continue to call plays. NFL Network reported the Bears will seek interviews with Titans assistants Chris Harris, a former Bears safety, and Terrell Williams. Williams was the Titans’ acting head coach in a preseason game against the Bears in August.
