Bear Digest

Bears coaching staff update: Dallas assistant to handle nickel backs

Former Dallas safeties coach and longtime NFL assistant Cannon Matthews has been named to the Bears coaching staff to coach Kyler Gordon and the nickel backs says NFL Network.

Gene Chamberlain

The Bears have named former Cowboys safeties coach Cannon Matthews as their coach for nickel cornerbacks.
The Bears have named former Cowboys safeties coach Cannon Matthews as their coach for nickel cornerbacks. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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The Bears had enough interest in Mike McCarthy to fly him in for an interview for head coach but not enough to hire him.

They did have interest in his coaching staff, though. After Ben Johnson reportedly hired secondary coach Al Harris to coach cornerbacks, they have hired former Dallas safeties coach Cannon Matthews to be their nickelbacks coach and replace David Overstreet II. Matthews' official title will be defensive backs/nickels coach, according to a report by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Matthews has been an NFL coach since 2007, when he was a Browns coaching assistant. He was an assistant on defense and special teams in 2009 and 2008 for Buffalo before switching sides for two seasons as a Bills offensive coaching assistant.

With Cleveland in 2013, he was a coaching intern and then moved to Tennessee as a quality control coach on defense in 2014-15.

In 2016, he moved to assistant defensive backs coach one season in Cleveland, then went back to quality control for three years in Washington and for three years in Dallas before he became assistant defensive backs coach in 2023 and safeties coach last year.

Last year, Matthews was coaching for a defense that was 17th in the league against the pass and 12th in interceptions with 13. Now he'll coach Kyler Gordon, Josh Blackwell and Reddy Steward.

That included starters Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson, Israel Mukuamu and Juanyeh Thomas, who had five combined interceptions.

A bit of irony if not symmetry entered into the Bears coaching staff formation when it was reported Thursday that former Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who was fired after nine games, has been hired in the role of passing game coordinator for Jacksonville.

That means the two teams have basically swapped out last year's offensive coordinators and put them in the role of passing game coordinator because former Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor was hired as Bears passing game coordinator.

Bears reported staff

Head coach: Ben Johnson

Defensive coordinator: Dennis Allen

Offensive coordinator: Declan Doyle

Special teams coordinator: Richard Hightower

Offensive line: Dan Roushar

Quarterbacks: J.T. Barrett

Wide receivers: Antwaan Randle El

Running backs: Eric Bieniemy

Tight ends: Jim Dray*

Secondary/defensive pass game coordinator: Al Harris

Defensive line: Bill Johnson

Linebackers: Richard Smith

Defensive backs/nickels: Cannon Matthews

Assistant QBs/receivers: Robbie Picazo*

Offensive quality control: Zach Cable*

Defensive quality control: Kevin Koch*

Defensive quality control: Kenny Norton III *

*Holdover coaches from Matt Eberflus staff.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.