5 possible replacements for Matt Nagy if he is fired by the Chicago Bears
For Matt Nagy, head coach of the Chicago Bears, it appears as if his time with the Bears may be coming to an end. During a loss Sunday to the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens, the Bears lost the game on a last-minute drive that went the length of the field.
The final score was 16-13, so the defense wasn't the problem. With chants of "Fire Nagy" resonating at Bears' home games, as well as Bulls' home games, it's time to begin looking at possible replacements for Matt Nagy.
#FireNagy at the Bears game yesterday. #FireNagy at the Bulls game today. We won’t give up.
https://t.co/gET0GSieI1
An overwhelming number of #Bears’ players want Matt Nagy gone, league sources say. “He lost some of the locker room last season, but now it’s gone,” one source adds. One key holdup: No HC in the 101-year franchise history has ever been let go during the season.
5 potential replacements for Matt Nagy as Chicago Bears head coach
#1 - Kellen Moore, current Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator
If (or when) the Bears decide to part ways with Matt Nagy, Kellen Moore should be given a call. Moore is currently the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite a recent offensive outage against the Kansas City Chiefs (they had several key injuries on offense), the Cowboys offense has been a thing of beauty since Moore took over. Under Moore's tutelage, quarterback Dak Prescott has made the quantum leap from solid NFL starter to NFL MVP candidate.
The hope is that he will do the same for Justin Fields. With weapons like Darnell Mooney, Cole Kmet, Allen Robinson (who may be in his last year with the Bears) and Tarik Cohen, there is plenty of firepower to work with in Chicago.
#2 - Bill O'Brien, current offensive coordinator for the University of Alabama
For the Bears, it's all about correcting what's wrong on the offensive side of the ball. Bill O'Brien is no stranger to working with NFL quarterbacks of the highest pedigree. Most notably, he worked with Tom Brady when he was quarterbacking the New England Patriots.
O'Brien also spent time working with Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who, despite having various legal troubles at the moment, had a very productive season at quarterback last year, throwing for 4,823 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
O'Brien coached the Houston Texans from 2014-2020 and made the playoffs in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. He would appear to be an upgrade from Matt Nagy.
#3 - Byron Leftwich, current offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Byron Leftwich's crowning achievement was winning Super Bowl LV as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year. Although Tom Brady was already a made man coming from the Patriots, he allowed Leftwich to coach him, and together, they achieved success with a highly potent offense.
If there is any doubt to how successful Leftwich has been as OC of the Bucs, he was on board with the team in the same capacity years before Brady arrived. Jameis Winston, the former quarterback of the Bucs before Brady's arrival, threw for 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns.
Winston also had 30 interceptions that season, but that is often seen as a result of Winston trying to do a bit too much in the offense. Byron Leftwich should be on the list of potential candidates for GM Ryan Pace to contact to replace Nagy.
#4 - Josh McDaniels, current offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots
Josh McDaniels has often been viewed as the ultimate successor to Bill Belichick once he decides to hang up the old cut-offs in New England. That isn't to say that McDaniels hasn't ventured out to stick his toes in the waters of NFL head coaching.
He previously left the same position with the Patriots to coach the Denver Broncos from 2009-2010. He was once accepted (in principle) to become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, only to back out of the deal the evening before the press conference to announce it was to take place.
Despite the mishap, McDaniels is known to be an offensive guru who has learned a lot from his master, Bill Belichick. The pupil may feel as if it is finally time to become the master and take the reins elsewhere.
The Bears would certainly welcome someone who has proven to help develop quarterbacks and adjust offensive strategies on-the-fly. This is something that Matt Nagy was not known for doing.
#5 - Brian Daboll, current offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills
Brian Daboll has spent time in New England in several different stints. He also served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the University of Alabama in 2017.
Needless to say, he knows a thing or two about making an offense run and working with quarterbacks. He has been the OC for the Bills since 2018, and quarterback Josh Allen has made strides in those years.
Allen went from possibly being ousted in a few years for his poor production to now being touted as an NFL MVP candidate. They rank near the top half of the league in many key offensive statistics.
His knowledge of the game, along with his development of quarterbacks, will bode well for the Bears as they look to improve with their own young franchise quarterback....something that Matt Nagy has been unable to accomplish.
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