How A Colossal Blunder Allowed Bears To Steal Dan Roushar

Ben Johnson has put together an exciting coaching staff. There is even a debate about who the best assistant he brought aboard is. Some say defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, with his track record of top 10 defenses in New Orleans. Others think it's Eric Bieniemy, a proven running backs savant with a Super Bowl-winning pedigree. However, the big win might've been luring 64-year-old offensive line coach Dan Roushar from college to take over the Chicago Bears. This is the same man who developed five eventual Pro Bowlers with the Saints from 2013 to 2022.

It was a major score for Johnson as he looks to pull the Bears offense out of the mud. It also almost didn't happen. Sources informed SM that the reason the Roushar hire took longer than other assistants was due to a tense standoff at Tulane. The coach had initially wanted to see if he could secure a pay raise from the university. He'd lived in Louisiana for over a decade and didn't want to leave if he could help it. Unfortunately, the school lowballed him in contract talks.

That and the lingering fear that head coach Jon Sumrall might leave for a bigger job soon convinced him Chicago was the better option.

Dan Roushar had justification for his thinking.

For one, the Bears were making a strong financial offer to bring him in. Tulane wasn't willing to even come close. Another reason is that Sumrall has a history of leaving jobs. He had two great years at Troy before bolting for the Tulane job. It is a safe assumption that he might be eyeing the Kentucky job, given the rumors swirling that Mark Stoops could retire within the next couple of years. Having already watched Willie Fritz, who hired him in 2023, leave for Houston, Roushar wasn't keen on sticking around for the chaos of constantly changing coaches.

Their loss is Chicago's gain. This man is widely regarded as one of the best offensive line specialists in football, college or pro. Tulane fans expressed frustration at losing him after what he'd done for their team. Dan Roushar should be able to clean up a lot of the problems that have haunted the Bears in recent years. The next step is finding him talented pieces to work with. Expectations are GM Ryan Poles will be aggressive in both free agency and the draft to find help up front.