Bears HC candidate profile: Get to know Brian Daboll

The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Nagy after four years, and they’ve wasted no time exploring candidates to replace him.

Chairman George McCaskey, President/CEO Ted Phillips, Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, VP of Player Engagement Lamar ‘Soup’ Campbell and Senior VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Tanesha Wade will conduct the search for Chicago’s next GM, a process which McCaskey promised would be “thorough, diligent and exhausted.”

The Bears have cast a wide net of head coach candidates that they’ve extended interviews to, including Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who interviewed Sunday.

Let’s take a look at what Daboll brings to the table in our Bears head coach candidate profile:

Background

• Current Job: Offensive coordinator, Buffalo Bills (2018-Present)

• Age: 46

• Hometown: Welland, Ontario, Canada

• College: Rochester

Experience

• Offensive coordinator, Buffalo Bills (2018-Present)

• Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Alabama (2017)

• Tight ends coach, New England Patriots (2013-16)

• Offensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs (2012)

• Offensive coordinator, Miami Dolphins (2011)

• Offensive coordinator, Cleveland Browns (2009-10)

• Quarterbacks coach, New York Jets (2007-08)

• Wide receivers coach, New England Patriots (2002-06)

• Defensive assistant, New England Patriots (2000-01)

• Graduate assistant, Michigan State (1998-99)

• Volunteer assistant, William & Mary (1997)

Analysis

Daboll has been discussed as a top coaching candidate this cycle, and look no further than his development of quarterback Josh Allen over the last four years. Allen, an MVP candidate, struggled as a rookie but has taken massive strides in the three years that followed. Daboll has been a huge part of that.

When you look at the failures of Matt Nagy, Daboll checks those boxes. Not only does he have experience as a play caller, but he’s found success calling plays. (Look no further than Saturday’s wild-card rout of a top Patriots defense). It’s hard not to imagine what Justin Fields could look like in an offense like Buffalo’s.

Daboll boasts more than 20 years of coaching experience between college and the NFL, where he’s served as an offensive coordinator for the Bills, Chiefs, Browns, Dolphins and with Alabama. He’s worked with the likes of Bill Belichick in New England and Nick Saban at Alabama. Not bad company to be in.

They said it...

“He knows offense to the core. He comes from a family of coaching that’s founded in discipline, detail and the basics and fundamentals of the game. Brian was also in a lot of places where there was an emphasis put on accentuating the positive and limiting the negatives. He knows that their best football player is Josh Allen, and everything has to try to be centered around him and his strengths.”

–Former NFL executive Scott Pioli on Daboll (via the Bills website)

Bottom line

Daboll has emerged as a top head coaching candidate following his offensive dismantling of a top-ranked Patriots defense and his work with Josh Allen over the last four years. Bears fans have wondered what Justin Fields could look like with a real coach — and Daboll could be the answer.

But there’s more that goes into being a head coach than simply running the offense. Daboll has worked with the likes of Bill Belichick, Nick Saban and Sean McDermott, where the connections are there so he could surely put together a solid coaching staff.

There’s no sure thing when it comes to first-time head coaches. But sometimes you have to take the chance. When you look at the first-time head coaches on deck, it’s hard not to wonder if Daboll could be one of those slam-dunk hires looking back.

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