Chicago Bears don’t need next head coach to be offensive play caller

The Bears can't just focus on coaching candidates who can call plays. Their next head coach must be able to do so much more.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles walks laps around the field before their game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images / Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Odds are, the Chicago Bears will likely hire one of the NFL's bright, up-and-coming offensive coordinators to be their next head coach.

For many Bears fans, that looks like the clear and obvious choice to pair Caleb Williams with a head coach who will call plays and oversee his development closely.

But the idea that Ryan Poles has to choose a coach with a background on offense is short-sighted and misses some of the nuance of leading a football franchise.

It might be ideal for the Bears if the best candidate happens to be a coach who will call plays, but it should not be the deciding factor in the team's decision.

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Poles needs to identify the person who will make the best head coach for this Bears team.

That means having a plan for the offense and how they are going to develop their young quarterback. But that also means bringing the proper leadership and communication skills to the position to ensure a strong culture of discipline and accountability.

A great offensive coordinator can't become a successful head coach if he can't properly handle all of the intangible aspects of running a whole team. Just like how a CEO-style of coach won't last long if he doesn't make the right hires and decisions for his offense.

Each style of coach comes with their own set of risks for hiring. The right candidate has to address every aspect correctly, regardless of their individual expertise.

An NFL head coach must be capable of more than just calling plays

Look around the NFL at the coaches who are and are not having success. It doesn't show a clear trend toward one style of coach over another.

Of the 14 teams that made the playoffs this year, only five have a head coach who is also their offensive play caller: Kansas City Chiefs (Andy Reid), Denver Broncos (Sean Payton), Los Angeles Rams (Sean McVay), Minnesota Vikings (Kevin O'Connell) and Green Bay Packers (Matt LeFleur).

The other nine playoff teams hired offensive coordinators who call their plays and risk being hired away in any given offseason. The Bears themselves put interview requests for five of those coaches so far.

Three of the head coaches in the playoffs (Dan Campbell, Nick Sirianni and Jim Harbaugh) are offensive coaches who don't call their own plays.

Being a good play caller doesn't ensure success as a head coach

At the same time, plenty of head coaches that are offensive play callers missed the playoffs entirely.

It's hard to question the offensive prowess of coaches like Kyle Shanahan, Mike McDaniel, Zac Taylor or Kevin Stefanski, but their teams all fell short of the postseason for different reasons.

Hiring an offensive coordinator to be head coach is no sure path to success. Remember Matt Nagy?

All it guarantees is that the team's offensive play caller won't get hired away in the future.

The next Bears head coach should be developing a culture of winning and success, not just an offense

If the next Bears head coach can get to the point where the offense is so good that other teams want to hire away their offensive coordinator, it would be the best offense Chicago has seen in decades. That's a great problem to have.

And the right head coach should be able to withstand the loss of a quality coordinator because the right head coach doesn't just develop players, he develops coaches too.

That's why coaches like John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott have been able to sustain success across multiple offensive coordinators. They don't get every hire right, but the quarterback talent they have is good enough to overcome.

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That's where Caleb Williams comes in. The Bears need the right offensive coach to oversee his early development, but after a year or two with the right staff, he should grow into the kind of quarterback who doesn't need the perfect coordinator to be successful.

Whoever Poles hires to be his head coach has to nail the initial plan for the QB and offense. Then they have to be the kind of coach who establishes a culture and identity that persists through any changes the future might bring.

That should be what distinguishes the right candidate for the Bears head coach — not whether he was an offensive play caller.

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