Dan Quinn, Jim Caldwell Join Finalists

Bears now have three finalists for head coach but haven't yet hired a general manager.

USA Today

Two more coaches are reportedly due for a second interview by the Bears and one is a bit of a surprise.

Former Lions and Colts coach Jim Caldwell and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will receive second interviews according to NFL Network. A second interview was already granted to Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

The second Caldwell interview is no surprise because Bill Polian is on the Bears committee for hiring and Polian promoted Caldwell from offensive coordinator to Colts head coach in 2009 after Tony Dungy retired. Both Caldwell and Polian were fired in Indianapolis in January of 2012 after a 2-14 season when the team lost Peyton Manning due to a neck injury.

Quinn was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 through Week 5 of the 2020 season. He had a record of 43-42 with a playoff record of 3-2, including an NFC championship in his second season of 2016. That year the Falcons had a 28-9 lead on the New England Patriots in the second half of the Super Bowl and lost 34-28 in overtime.

Atlanta beat Green Bay and Seattle on the way to the Super Bowl.

Quinn's first Atlanta team started with five straight wins and a 6-1 record before losing six straight and failing to make the playoffs at 8-8. His 2017 team made the playoffs and beat the Rams 11-6 but lost to Philadelphia 15-10 in the divisional round and the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl.

Two years prior to getting the Falcons to the Super Bowl, Quinn was in his first year as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks and was in charge of the "Legion of Boom."

His 2013 Seahawks defense had a key part in winning the Super Bowl over Denver, and in taking the Seahawks back to the Super Bowl the next year. They lost to New England in 2014 28-24 after beating Green Bay in the NFC championship game.

Before becoming defensive coordinator for the Seahawks, Quinn was a defensive coordinator two years at Florida after he was defensive line coach from 2003-2010 for Seattle, the Jets, Mia, Miami and San Francisco in an NFL career that dated back to 2001 with the 49ers as a defensive quality control coach.

In 2021, Quinn's Dallas defense led the NFL in takeaways and was 19th overall in yards allowed, seventh in scoring.

Quinn might require a bit of a retooling of the defense if he became head coach, but probably no more than Eberflus. Both have used 4-3 base defenses while the Bears have had a 3-4 base since 2015.

Caldwell, who is 67, hasn't been in the NFL since being fired in Detroit with a 36-28 record for four seasons at the end of the 2017 campaign. He was hired in 2019 as an assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach by Brian Flores in Miami but after minicamp and organized team activities he resigned due to "health issues," and retained a consultant role with the team.

Eberflus is being considered by Jacksonville for head coach.

The other surprising aspect of three finalists being named is the Bears haven't even hired a general manager yet. It almost seems they are putting the cart before the horse in this respect, and team board chairman George McCaskey had said at the outset of their search that they were ideally looking to hire a GM first.

The omission of Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll after Sunday's 36-point effort in a playoff loss to Kansas City and the development of Josh Allen seems unusual to say the least. However, the New York Giants already have Daboll as a finalist for their job.

The Bears still have one more known scheduled preliminary interview to conduct with Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.

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