Bears' Matt Nagy to Call Plays in 2021; OC Bill Lazor Handled Duties Last Season

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Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy is going to take over play-calling duties for the offense next season. 

Nagy addressed the decision to run the offense in 2021 on Friday. 

“I’m gonna be the one calling the plays this year," he told reporters. "The fun part right now is building what we wanna do better...getting that right.”

Bill Lazor, who was hired as offensive coordinator in January 2020, took over play-calling duties midway through last season. 

Nagy had been calling plays for the Bears offense since being hired as head coach in January 2018. He spent the previous two years as Andy Reid's offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Chicago ranked 20th and 25th in Football Outsiders' offensive DVOA in Nagy's first two years. 

After the Bears lost four of six games following a 3-0 start last season, Nagy ceded play-calling duties to Lazor. The offense was averaging 19.8 points through the first nine games when the change was made. 

Coming out of their bye in Week 11, the Bears did play better on offense down the stretch to make the playoffs. They scored at least 25 points in five straight games from Week 12-16, including a season-high 41 points against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 27. 

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Chicago was held to nine points and 239 total yards in the NFC Wild Card Round loss to the New Orleans Saints. 

The Bears are preparing to open this season with Andy Dalton as their starting quarterback. He signed a one-year contract worth $10 million plus incentives with the team in March.