Ryan Poles said there would be some surprises in the Chicago Bears head coaching search. Thus far, he did tell the truth but nobody has really stood out as genuine shockers. Adam Stenavich was interesting, but the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator has a strong track record. Marcus Freeman and Matt Campbell weren't expected, but both are tremendous college coaches. At last, the first legitimate "WHAT!?" name dropped on Saturday night following Washington's upset of Detroit in the divisional round.
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported that Chicago would meet with former Tennessee Titans star running back Eddie George about their head coaching position. The four-time Pro Bowler has run the Tennessee State program over the past four years, leading them to their first FCS playoff berth in 11 years. That earned him Coach of the Year honors.
There are one of two possibilities for the Chicago Bear here.
The first and probably most likely is that George helps them comply with the Rooney Rule. This requires an NFL team to interview two outside minority candidates in person before making the official hire. Chicago already met with Ron Rivera earlier this week. That was the first. If George's interview is in person, that would be the second, giving the Bears the green light to pursue whoever their primary target is. Most believe it's Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is officially available after the divisional loss.
Another possibility is that the Chicago Bears are genuinely interested. George played in the NFL for a long time and has four years of head coaching experience now. He was one of the unquestioned leaders in the locker room during his playing days, so it isn't crazy to think he might be able to make the jump. Also, don't forget George spent two weeks with the team in 2023 as an assistant coach for the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship program. The Bears got to see him work up close.
