Chicago Bears name Sean Desai their new defensive coordinator, staying in house by promoting their safeties coach

With the Chicago Bears trying to get back to the high level of defense they played in 2018, the team on Friday turned to the one assistant who probably knows that scheme best — safeties coach Sean Desai.

Coach Matt Nagy promoted Desai to defensive coordinator, elevating him as the replacement for Chuck Pagano, who retired following the team’s wild-card round playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Desai is the longest-tenured assistant at Halas Hall, originally coming to the team in 2013 as a quality control coach on Marc Trestman’s staff. He remained in the role for an unusually long stretch — through the 2018 season — before being named the safeties coach in 2019.

He was particularly valuable to former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who tried to hire Desai after becoming the Denver Broncos coach in 2019 but the Bears blocked the move.

Nagy interviewed former Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher and Indianapolis Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon, and the team requested an interview with Dallas Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards.

The Bears slumped defensively in the second half of the season but are able to keep some stability with Desai running the show.

That’s significant considering the NFL’s offseason program could be mostly virtual again because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reduced time on the practice field would make learning a new scheme and terminology challenging.

The Bears will need to hire a replacement for defensive line coach Jay Rodgers, who has departed for the Los Angeles Chargers. Running backs coach Charles London left to become the quarterbacks coach of the Atlanta Falcons and passing game coordinator Dave Ragone is now the offensive coordinator in Atlanta.

It remains to be seen if Nagy will have additional changes to his staff.