Bears Hire Matt Nagy: What the New Coach Means for Trubisky

Chicago plucked their new head coach off the Andy Reid coaching tree; and a Reid-style West Coast offense fits the young QB’s skillset nicely

David Eulitt/Kansas City Star/MCT/Getty Images; David Banks/Getty Images

Few outside of NFL front offices know much about 39-year-old Matt Nagy, but fellow Kansas City assistants admired his work as the Chiefs quarterbacks coach (2013-15), and his stock soared after becoming the offensive coordinator in 2016 and play-caller midway through 2017. Let’s assume Nagy's philosophy is similar to that of the only NFL boss he’s ever known, Andy Reid, who brought Nagy into the NFL as an Eagles intern in 2008. In that case, the Bears will run a highly schemed West Coast-style offense, with multiple moving pieces built into the same play design. It’s a great fit for Mitchell Trubisky, whose NFL success will hinge predominantly on timing and rhythm throws.

Trubisky isn’t quite a gunslinger, but with more consistent mechanics he can be a precision accuracy passer. Plus, he has excellent vision and body control when throwing on the move outside the pocket. Expect Nagy to make good use of this mobility for no other reason than that slower-developing play designs, like rollouts and bootlegs, work well at Soldier Field, where wind, cold weather, and thick, long grass can hinder players’ speed. Running backs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen will be Chicago's featured weapons, with Trubisky serving as a ball-distributor.

The Bears wouldn’t have hired the young, offensive-minded Nagy unless they were comfortable with who he has tabbed as defensive coordinator. Expect that to be an experienced veteran coach, preferably one who will continue the hybrid zone concepts featured by previous defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio.

We’re still looking at a rebuilding project in Chicago; Trubisky is young and much of the receiving corps needs work. But the hiring of Nagy suggests that GM Ryan Pace and the rest of Chicago’s brass is serious about accelerating that process.

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