The Chicago Bears finally found their next general manager in Ryan Poles. Are they about ready to get their next head coach as well?
As Poles is inking his new deal with the Bears, the team is also hosting former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell for his second interview, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
According to Schefter, there’s a belief around the league that the Bears could roll with Poles and an experienced head coach in Caldwell.
Former Lions and Colts’ HC Jim Caldwell is in the Bears’ building today. Matching the experienced Caldwell with the upstart Ryan Poles is a gameplan that some around the league now believe the Bears easily could deploy.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2022
The timing for Caldwell’s interview is curious as Poles is now officially the man who will be hiring the next head coach. It was reported on Monday that the Bears will conduct second interviews with Caldwell, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, and Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
But as Schefter reports, this could be the ideal scenario the Bears would like to see happen. Caldwell has a career record of 62-50 with four playoff appearances in seven seasons with the Colts and Lions. He last coached with the Miami Dolphins as their assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach.
Pairing a young general manager with an experienced head coach isn’t uncommon for this organization. It happened back in 2015 when Ryan Pace was hired as the team’s general manager. Pace and the Bears wound up hiring John Fox instead of an up-and-coming coach like Quinn to help get the organization back on track. A similar approach could be taken this year with Poles and Caldwell.
All three coaching candidates will have their second interviews this week, with a decision hopefully coming in the next few days.
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