Exodus of Bears Assistant Coaches Continues

Running backs coach Charles London becomes Atlanta's quarterbacks coach, while expectations are Dave Ragone could join the same staff

It's not quite a mass exodus yet at Halas Hall, but however you label it there is plenty of work for coach Matt Nagy to do.

Not only does Nagy need to fill vacant spots on the defensive coaching staff, but now he must replace two offensive coaches.

The Bears have lost running backs coach Charles London to the Atlanta Falcons. Former Bears quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Dave Ragone also is headed to that team, the Falcons announced.

For London, it's the second time leaving the Bears. He served on Lovie Smith's staff from 2007 through 2009 as a quality control coach before going to the Tennessee Titans. He returned to the Bears in 2018 under Matt Nagy.

London did have two other seasons as a quality control coach for Penn State, so his background isn't entirely at running back.

Ragone has had a close relationship with Mitchell Trubisky since 2017, when the two were first working together under coach John Fox. Ragone wasn't hired as quarterbacks coach with the Bears until a year into John Fox's coaching stint because Dowell Loggains was initially doing it, but then Adam Gase left after a year to become Miami's head coach and Fox promoted Loggains to offensive coordinator and hired Ragone as quarterbacks coach.

Nagy made Ragone the passing game coordinator this past season when they added John DeFilippo to the coaching staff as quarterbacks coach.

Ragone had a connection with new Falcons coach Arthur Smith, who was on the Tennessee Titans staff in 2011-13 with Ragone.

Now Nagy essentially has at least four positions to fill. He's still looking for a defensive coordinator and also a defensive line coach after Jay Rodgers left the Bears to join the staff of Brandon Staley with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Bears had been looking into Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn as a possible defensive coordinator but ESPN reported on Thursday that Glenn has told the Bears he is signing to become Detroit's defensive coordinator.

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