While many feel that the Chicago Bears will hire an offensive-minded person to become the next head coach, defensive specialist Brian Flores is gaining momentum to fill the job.
The Chicago Bears are casting a wide net in their search for a new head coach. The list is nearly 20 names long and what they do or what standards they are setting for the hiring is anyone’s guess. There is a wide variety of types of coaches so there is no pattern of what they are looking for.
The prevailing thought of what the Bears are looking for is that the team will want an offensive minded coach. They have a talented young quarterback Caleb Williams and his development should be their top priority. However, that may not be the case as the search progresses.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is considered the top candidate in this year’s coaching cycle. He has been in his position for three seasons and had a top-five offense in every one of them. Many Chicago Bears fans have been clamoring for his hiring.
The team interviewed Johnson this past weekend. However, it was done over Zoom. Johnson is in preparations for the Lions’ playoff run. The team had a bye, though and the Chicago Bears could have had a face-to-face meeting. That would give all parties concerned a better feeling with everyone in the same room that they couldn’t get over a computer.
© Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
While the fans still want Johnson, the odds of him filling the vacancy are falling. There is another name that is emerging as the front runner — Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano predicts that the Chicago Bears will hire Flores. He said that his name comes up whenever he talks to his contacts in the NFL about the Bears’ vacancy.
The Bears’ list of candidates is massive, and Flores still hasn’t been allowed to interview with Chicago because Minnesota made the playoffs. But this is the name that comes up the most when I ask people around the NFL to make a prediction.
Graziano mentioned that the Chicago Bears still hadn’t interviewed with them. The Vikings actually did play in the first round of the playoffs. Now, with their defeat on Monday night, the Bears asked for permission to interview Flores since Minnesota’s season is over.
Flores has connections with the Chicago Bears
© Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
While Johnson is getting most of the attention as the hottest candidate available, Flores is pretty popular himself. He is interviewing for four of the six head coaching vacancies in the league now (the Bears, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Las Vegas Raiders).
Flores has an advantage with the Chicago Bears, though, He has ties with the team. He was a college teammate with general manager Ryan Poles with Boston College. They certainly know each other well. Additionally, Bears CEO Kevin Warren knows a lot about Flores. Warren was with the Vikings front office and still has a lot of ties with the organization.
Once the Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus on Thanksgiving Warren apparently asked his contacts in Minnesota about Flores. He heard good things about Flores so Warren and Poles could be on the same page with him.
One of the things the Bears players complained about during the season was the coaching staff not holding them accountable. The coaches let a lot of things slide without addressing them. It led to the team brass saying they wanted a “leader of men” as a requirement for the next head coach.
The players should be careful of what they ask. Flores will certainly hold the players accountable. He will be tough on them. We saw that when he was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had no good things to say about his time with Flores.
“If you woke up every morning and I told you that you suck at what you did, that you don’t belong, that you shouldn’t be here, that you haven’t earned this…
and then someone come and tells you, ‘You are the best fit for this…How you that make you feel?”
– @Tua describes the… pic.twitter.com/bBHI6IsVlj
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 19, 2024
There is more evidence of Flores’ toughness. To be fair, the Miami Dolphins are not known to be a very tough team. They practically disappear when the temperature falls below the freezing mark. Chicago is a different animal. It is a blue collar town and fans appreciate the toughness.
© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Of course, being a defensive minded coach Flores will be instrumental in bringing back the Monsters of the Midway dominant defense. The question is how he would handle Williams. He would need to have a plan and hire an OC who could work well with the young quarterback.
Hiring Brian Flores would be a surprise for many fans. They already have the person they feel would be the guy and it is not Flores. However, after learning from his previous stint as a head coach he could be a very good fit for the Chicago Bears.
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