Bears to hire WR coach Chris Beatty, DJ Moore’s college coach

Beatty was the wide receivers coach for the Chargers for the last three seasons.

MOBILE, Ala. — The Bears will hire former Chargers assistant Chris Beatty as their wide receivers coach, reuniting him with star receiver DJ Moore, a source said. Beatty was Moore’s position coach in his final two seasons at Maryland.

The addition leaves coach Matt Eberflus, who will be scouting draft prospects at the Senior Bowl this week, with one vacancy remaining on his staff: running backs coach. The Bears fired David Walker three months ago for non-football reasons and dismissed Omar Young, his replacement, at the end of the season.

Beatty, 50, was the wide receivers coach for the Chargers for the last three seasons. Before that, he predominantly coached in college, including stops at Illinois (2012) and Northern Illinois (2007).

At four of his stops as a college coach, Beatty was a coordinator, co-coordinator or associate head coach. He has been a running backs coach and quarterbacks coach, as well.

Aside from Moore, the Bears have question marks at receiver. Darnell Mooney, who topped 1,000 yards in 2021 but had fewer than that in the last two seasons combined, is a pending free agent. He and Moore were the only Bears receivers with 20 or more catches this season.

New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron will have returning assistants in offensive line coach Chris Morgan and tight ends coach Jim Dray, while Beatty and quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph are new. Waldron had Joseph on staff with the Seahawks but hasn’t worked with Beatty.

Beatty played receiver at East Tennessee State before a brief career in the Canadian Football League and began his coaching career in 1998 at North Stafford High School in Stafford, Virginia.