New head coach Ben Johnson has been making changes to the Chicago Bears coaching staff since he was officially hired by the team last Tuesday. The former Lions offensive guru has brought on his two coordinators as both were announced by the franchise on Monday.
Declan Doyle will serve as the Bears offensive coordinator and former Saints head coach Dennis Allen will be the defensive mastermind in Chicago. One coordinator that Johnson retained on the Bears staff is Richard Hightower. The 44-year-old has served as Chicago’s special teams coordinator since 2022 and will be around for his fourth season with the organization.
One big decision for Johnson’s first staff that hasn’t been made yet is who will oversee the offensive line. This unit for the Bears’ was arguably the worst in football last season, as rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times. This was by far the most sacks taken by a quarterback in the league last season, and that needs to change entering 2025.
With Chris Morgan being let go from his duties as the offensive line coach, it opens the door for someone else to take over this struggling unit. One direction that the Bears front office could look to fill this vacancy is at the collegiate level, where one coach has already gained their interest in Joe Rudolph, the current offensive line coach at Notre Dame.
Joe Rudolph would bring quite the background to the Chicago Bears
Ruldolph has spent his entire coaching career at the college level. He began as a GA at Ohio State from 2004-2006 before heading to Nebraska for the 2007 season to be their tight ends coach. Rudolph remained in the Big 10 from 2008-2011 as the tight ends coach for his alma mater, Wisconsin before leaving the conference in 2012.
Rudolph spent the 2012-2014 years at Pittsburgh as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. The Charleroi, PA native got the chance to act as Pitt’s interim head coach during the 2014 season after Paul Chryst resigned from the role.
After his tenure at Pitt came to a close, Rudolph returned to Wisconsin from 2015-2021. In his second stint with the Badgers, he worked in various roles such as the offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and assistant head coach.
Rudolph was with Virginia Tech in 2022 working with their offensive line before joining Notre Dame where he has been the last two seasons. There is no doubt that Rudolph has positioned himself for an NFL job based on his 20 year track record at the college level. He has coached numerous draft picks and an offensive line that made the National Championship game this past year.
Joe Rudolph would be a big part in rebuilding the Chicago Bears line
The Bears will be completely retooling their offensive line this offseason. With the exception of Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones, the rest of the line will look brand new come training camp. The front office will look to the draft and free agency when bringing in new faces to protect Williams ahead of his second NFL season.
In free agency, names like Trey Smith and Drew Dalman should be at the top of the Bears list. They have the cap space to bring in both individuals if they are so lucky to meet with both of them when free agency opens up. In the draft, tackles like Will Campbell of LSU and Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas could be near the top of Ryan Poles’ draft board.
No matter which direction Chicago goes in fixing up their offensive line, it’s nothing that Rudolph can’t handle. His coaching experience should carry nicely in the NFL if given a chance by the Bears and he would certainly be a nice change of pace compared to what’s been on staff with the organization over the past few seasons.
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