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Bears Rumors: Joe Brady Interviewing for Spot on Matt Eberflus' Coaching Staff
February 1, 2022
The Chicago Bears are reportedly interviewing former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady for a staff position.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported Brady would interview for a spot on Matt Eberflus' staff but did not disclose the position.
The Bears already hired Luke Getsy as their offensive coordinator.
The Panthers fired Brady 12 games into the 2021 season after a 5-7 start. Brady came to Carolina as one of the hottest assistant coaches in football after spearheading LSU's offensive turnaround in 2019 that ended with a national championship.
Brought along with fellow college-to-NFL hire Matt Rhule, Brady struggled to find success in two seasons with the Panthers. Carolina ranked among the worst offenses in football in 2020 and 2021, though it's fair to wonder if personnel was a larger factor than Brady's scheming.
The Panthers jettisoned several veteran players ahead of the 2020 season as part of an organizational retooling under Rhule, and the results have been questionable at best.
Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold, the Panthers' primary starting quarterbacks the past two seasons, are below-average options (at best). Star running back Christian McCaffrey was limited to just 10 games over the last two seasons, which only furthered the talent deficit.
Hiring Brady could be a smart move for Eberflus as he tries building the staff that will be responsible for Justin Fields' development. Matt Nagy failed in his task to scheme around Fields' skill set during a miserable rookie campaign; it's a mistake that can't happen again in 2022.
Some questioned the Bears' decision to hire the defensive-minded Eberflus for that reason, but surrounding himself with offensive minds like Getsy and Brady is a promising start.